Danganronpa: Spine Tower
by Crimson Paws
Summary: 16 talented students are invited to a celebratory event to mark the end of high-school. Their upcoming path to a new celebrity lifestyle is far from reality once discovering that they are imprisoned in a tower thousands of feet from the ground. To escape? Isn't it obvious? They must kill. [Chapter 1: Despair Documentary] Rated T for violence and sexual content. (SYOC CLOSED!)
1. Prologue: The Monochrome Mistress

**A/N: Many of you may know me for "Monokuma's Killer Cruise". I just want to reassure for those who are supporting that fic, that I am not disowning the story. I am currently progressing through the second chapter but felt an inner urge to explore another alternative story where students take part in the famous killing game. I am creative and full of ideas so please do not think that MKC will suffer due to this current fic.**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Prologue: The Monochrome Mistress**

_**Time: 6:23pm | Ken's bedroom**_

Yo guys, what's up? My name is Ken Rokurou, eighteen-years-old and a sure damn diamond in the rough - yeh, I'm pretty much the pretty boy on the block. Anyhow...

Today marks the end of the final academic year at college and I have been invited to party, but not just any old party… this one is special you see. Talented students have been rounded up from across the country by educational authorities to attend a flashy, high-budget and exquisite celebration event to reward us for our talents that have been recognized on a nation-wide level. The venue is to take place in the heart of Tokyo.

Yeah there has been a mish-mash of myths that these kind of social gatherings are in fact conducted by criminal organizations that imprison student and then _apparently_ brainwash them into killing each other off. They can only survive if they successfully kill another student and manage to waffle their way through a courtroom based trial and escape being framed. Haha, but we all know that is full of bullshit right?

Anyway… back to the party.

_What should I wear?_ I stood in my underpants admiring my own reflection in the mirror, tensing my abs until I could clearly see my hard worked six-pack. Enough of that… I can't go to a party nearly naked can I? The invitation stressed that we should wear an outfit that captures our personality. Well I'm big-headed- yes I was aware of my arrogance- I am outgoing, fun and pretty a ditzy high schooler who failed all his exams. Oh, hehe, I guess you are wondering what my talent is then?

Well, I am the super high school model… Haha, nah, I'm messin' around. I am in fact the…

_**Ken Rokurou (18) – [ Super High School Guitarist ]**_

I failed my exams due to band commitments, but people across the region know me due to the solo guitar parts in some of my songs. I was in an idol band named the "Royal Blue Bandits". So yeh, I am pretty much a normal, casual school slack off who admire music and of course my female fan base.

Wait… Royal Blue Bandits… aha! A blue sleeveless jacket would be perfect then, along with a pair of electric blue sneakers, black skinny jeans and silver tinted vest with tiger scratches across it. Yeh I look like the perfect rock star, hehehe.

"Honey suckle, your limousine driver has just called. He'll arrive in fifteen minutes." My mum bellowed as she climbed the staircase.

Wha-? Fifteen fucking minutes to get ready?! I quickly slipped in my party outfit and puffed up myblonde hair with an excessive amount of wax powder. I coated myself in a mist of Bleu de Chanel cologne and accessorized myself with silver and black chains.

_*KNOCK* *KNOCK*_

The heavy knocks must be from mum. "H-hold on mum," I kicked my latest issue of playboy magazines under my bed before she got tired of waiting and then like always she entered the room before I could hide give her a heads up.

"You handsome little devil. Don't you look stylish with that new jacket and sparkling new shoes. Oh, and your hair! Aren't you a vein little cherub!" My mum teased, over-complementing me as always. "Smile for the camera sweetie!" She unexpectedly whipped out a camera from behind her back and before I could say 'cheese' it flashed, dazing me in the process. "My dashing boy," she smiled and bear cuddled me before planting a sloppy kiss on my forehead.

"Eugh...mum!" I dampened my hand and wiped what may have been a slimy lip stain on my forehead.

_*BEEP* *BEEP*_

"Oh that must be your limousine!"

"Okay mum, I don't want keep mister limo man waitin', catch ya later." I said excitedly brushing past her. Before I had chance to exit my bedroom she tucked something in my pocket.

"You be careful. Okay?" She called. I could only guess she put some sort of 'protection' in my pockets, but to avoid further embarrassment I rushed out the front door.

_**Time: 6:46pm | Front patio**_

Upon opening the front door my nerves rattled every bone in my body, but so did excitement. I was dazzled by what I saw. A lush red carpet stretched from my front door to the back seat of the black Cadillac limo. Whoa high-budget wasn't just an overstatement. All that was missing was screaming teenager girls begging for my autograph and paparazzi men flashing their camera's every second. Instead I had my mother more excited than I was, cheering from the window.

"Welcome, sir," a politely spoken female voice welcomed me from my right. It was a very sexy young lady dressed in a tight monochrome mini dress that amplified her bodily features. She had her face disguised behind a monochrome masquerade mask that was in the shape of a cat's head. Her lips were ripe red and glossy like an apple.

"You miss, must be my date for tonight," I teased flirtatiously.

"Your date would not be presenting you with a fine glass of champagne, would they?" She asked rhetorically pouting and twirling her black curls. "Please make you way into the limousine, where I will follow you and promise to make this so called _date_ a day to remember, ahaha," she giggled.

I was too captured by her alluring aura to take notice of the champagne sitting on the silver plate. I studied her vaguely, taking care not to come across as a pervert and I had to remember my mum was still waving goodbye to me from the window. I raised my arm up to sign goodbye to my mum before taking the champagne and eagerly making my way into the limo.

I parked myself in a jet black leather seat and leaned back embracing shots of cool air that blasted through pockets in the seat. It was perfect to cool me down after that hot flush. The surroundings were luxurious, but I was too occupied by my mysterious escort who soon placed herself onto the seat beside me. The silent engine turned on. It was only seconds before we glided through the backstreets of Tokyo.

I noticed the limo had a champagne bottle resting in a bucket of ice on the side counter along with one drinking glass. It had a cocktail recipe card listing the ingredients and the name of the cocktail, 'Indulgent Despair'.

"You didn't have to make the effort of taking the champagne out to me," I said feeling spoiled.

"Well bad boys like yourself need something to cool them down after a hot blood rush to the brain." She pressed her chin on the palm of her hand and gave me a confidant and seductive stare. "It seems that I have some… melting effect on horny little teenagers like you." She continued, moving her bare legs closer until they stroked my inner thigh. "Please. Drink up." She insisted.

"Yes ma'am," I addressed her before moving the glass and resting my lips on the rim. I sipped the sparkling golden alcohol washing the fruity bitterness around my mouth while resting my eyes on the beauty that kept getting intimately closer to me.

"Drink up pussy cat," She purred. Her presence was very commanding and I therefore did as she wished. She rolled her index finger under my chin and gently pushed it back therefore causing me neck the drink until the glass was dry.

"Eugh… You must be hella of a party cracker," I coughed repulsing the aftertaste.

The aftertaste was the least of my worries, I instantly felt light, floating… almost like a balloon. My surroundings blurred with every blink, worsening to the point I had to hold onto my seat for reassurance.

"Y-you usin the opportunity to t-take advantage of m-me," I slurred, struggling to connect my words.

Slowly, but shortly, my vision blackened, soon becoming clear that this lady was unconcerned. Her rhythmic and soothing voice slowly faded until almost unrecognisable.

"Driver," she called. She stood to her feet and lowered her body until my eyes came into contact with her face, which she pushed really close to me as if she was examining my condition. "It appears our next target succumbed to our little cocktail." She informed.

"Excellent, another chess piece to add to the game" The voice was barely human, it was auto-tuned to sound robotic, but it was the last words I heard as I became unconscious.

_**Time: ? | ?**_

I woke up, my head banging like it did when I came out of are car collision months back. I was lying down on my back, underneath a branched chandelier lifting orbs of light blue, as my vision recovered it came to realization that they were in fact blue candle flames. I think I'm at the party, in the ballroom, but why was I lying down?

What was more concerning were this bunch of weirdos staring down at me.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Submissions are open! Please submit your characters following my form. PM or review if you wish me to send the form to you through PM. Please be patient for chapter two. I will be busy selecting characters and generating ideas to advance the plot, if I am lucky to receive enough submissions.**

**The Form [15 spots open]: You can submit at LEAST two characters.**

**General Data [Section 1]**

**Name:**

**Gender:**

**Age: **_**(Please aim sixteen – early twenties please. I prefer eighteen-year-olds)**_

**Sexual Orientation:**

**Birth date:**

**Height / Weight: **

**Appearance (Be descriptive) [Section 2]**

**Noticeable Features: **_**(Eye & hair colour, shade of skin, hairstyle, facial hair, make-up, body figure)**_

**Fashion: **_**(Clothes, shows, colour scheme, etc.)**_

**Presentation: **_**(Sophisticated, lazy, tidy, revealing, smart)**_

**Unique Features: **_**(Scars, birthmarks, tattoos)**_

**Personality [Section 3]**

**Personality: **_**(Shy, friendly, loud, domineering, scared, happy, brave, clumsy etc. be descriptive)**_

**Mannerisms: **_**(How they walk, eat, stand, do they smile a lot, natural look of frowning? Do they tense their hands when impatient)**_

**Speech Pattern: **_**(How do they talk? Do they use clichés often? Express themselves through anger?)**_

**Provide Quotes:**

**Strengths / Weaknesses: **_**(What are they good at? Do they have any flaws?)**_

**Likes / Dislikes:**

**Mental Stability: **_**(Any mental disorders such as schizophrenia, a.d.h.d, depression, memory loss)**_

**Background [Section 4]**

**Place of Birth:**

**Family History & Childhood Experiences:**

**Prized Possessions:**

**Best / Worst Events in Life:**

**In-Game Role [Section 5]**

**SHSL:**

**Role in Trial: **_**(Nervous, shy, comical, investigator, quick to blame others)**_

**Bedroom: **_**(Each student in this story will have a personalized bedroom which portrays who they are. Think of colors and items you will find in there)**_

**Execution:**

**Survivor / Victim / Murderer / Mastermind: **_**(Please note that I MAY have to disappoint some of you)**_

…

**Final Note: I am looking for complex characters, so please bear that in mind. Also, I will include EVERY single submitted character per person, but they may only play a minor role in the story. I do not want tons of mysterious and quiet characters. I am looking for a colorful cast with a variety of different personalities. **


	2. Prologue: The Dangerous Duo of Despair

**A/N: This is a short chapter just to introduce you briefly to the villains of Despair. **

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Prologue: The Dangerous Duo of Despair**

In the cloudy shadows a red bat-winged eye stood before numerous of monitors. The monitors formed a wall capsulizing the tight, squeezed room. Every screen focused on the back seated area of the limousine, but each screen featured different people passionately engaging with their monochrome dressed escort.

"Driver." Muffling through the speakers was a woman's voice, addressing the figure lurking in the shadows. "It appears our next target succumbed to our little cocktail," she continued.

"Excellent, another chess piece to add to the game." A childish voice spoke.

Slowly, over and over and over the same message was repeated which sometimes featured a man's voice… but it was _exactly_ the same message.

Word for word.

With every message that spat through the speakers, the targeted individual on screen fell to the floor and then the screen fizzled out following a distinctive laugh…

"Upuhuhuhu…"

"You are one monstrous bear aren't you," a voiced purred.

"I am merely a cub, comparing me to a beast from the wild is not encouraged, Akaneko." The voice addressed the cat like creature that emerged from the shadows to witness the last screen fizzle out.

The cat was half white and half red with a dagger shaped eye that was a glowing red. It had slightly bent, but point ears that twitched to the smallest of sounds. It stood next to a familiar sized being who appeared to be it's master…

…Monokuma.

"Y'ave goctch 'em all! Kyakakaka!" It cackled.

"Like getting candy from a baby, AHAHAHAHA!" Monokuma laughed hysterically.

"Oh, ah, ah! May I blurt the secret out loud to our audience! Purrr" Akaneko begged flustered in excitement. "Tha-that one of the students are in fact-"

Sealing words that Monokuma preferred unspoken, the bear reached for a gavel and slammed it onto the cat's head.

"OWOWZA!" It blabbered in pain.

"The more secrets you carelessly blurt out, the more you shall receive pain Akaneko, I thought you understood that simple agreement." The bear growled maintaining it's childlike voice. "I would hate for us to play cat and mouse, the part where you get demoted to a lousy rodent! Upuhuhu"

"N-no sir! But that blow to the head nearly killed me!" Akaneko blubbered rubbing its head.

"Well, you out of all living creatures should know that cats have nine lives." Monokuma teased.

"S-sorry sir, it will…erm…might… or most definitely happen- I mean NOT happen again…" Akaneko apologized.

"It better not kitty cat or I'll scramble you! It's not just humans that aren't allowed to defy the Monokuma Empire it is all living creatures… as you should know."

"Anyway, anyway, anyway! Lemme look at the high school talents you've devoured this time! Purrr!"

Akaneko rushed to the screen and pressed a couple of computer buttons with its rounded paws. Then suddenly, the list changed revealing the sixteen students that were featured on the monitor screens.

…

? - ? [?]

? - ? [?]

Alice Amour – Super high-school Baker [15Lives]

? - ? [?]

Hirosuke Kanmaru – Super high-school Bodybuilder [ApexUtopia]

Rina Kimura – Super high-school Pilot [Charming Crescendo]

Yuko Yamada – Super high-school Reporter [TotalCyborgPineappleIsland2]

Fukumoto Shoko – Super high-school Rodeo Star [Vault120]

Sayuri Hiraoka – Super high-school Cheerleader [the meme queen]

Gina Higarashi – Super high-school Ghost Hunter [htfnutty101]

Shogo Hishimori – Super high-school W.H.O.R.E [reven228]

Kairu Hikari – Super high-school Basketball Player [Kizi1999]

Yazo Makura – Super high-school Luckster [ThatGuyWasHere]

Ken Rokurou – Super high-school Guitarist [Crimson Paws]

Neith Takary – Super high-school Bully [NellisTable]

Junsuina Takami – Super high-school Model [Unicorn819]

…

"What a crazy bunch sir"

"Isn't it always?" The bear let out another snickering laugh revealing razor like teeth and then spoke it's final words…

"Let the games begin!"

**A/N: The question marks are just there to remind you guys that the final the final three are undecided… so SYOC are still open! But obviously I am still considering past OC entries. I still need 2 male OC and 1 female OC. **

**The following two introductory chapters will hopefully be posted by 24/09/14**

**IMPORTANT: Those have successfully got your OC into the story, please please please continue to support this. I'd feel awful for the other readers who genuinely wanted their OC to be a part of this. Thank you.**


	3. Prologue: Hopeful Introductions I

**A/N: First of all, a MASSIVE thanks to everyone who has read, followed, reviewed and marked my fanfic as a favourite! Even a bigger thanks to all the OC's you guys submitted. They are actually amazing, all of them, but I had to choose characters based on the plot and overall feel of my story. I did NOT pick the best OC's in fact one of my favourites was left out purely because they didn't really fit the criteria for upcoming plots. Anyway, I will, if I can, include some of the OC's who didn't get in, but for minor parts only.**

**Most of you requested your OC's to be survivors so of course I've had to shake things up a bit… anyone has the potential to kill in the circumstances right?**

_**[ Italics ]**_** are used throughout this story for my POV characters in-depth thoughts, like thinking aloud. Normal text will be used for mainly observations and 'telling' parts of the story.**

**[ ****Underlined**** ] is to let you know the backing music played**

**I will also be using play-script styled writing for class trials, investigations and for scenes where the characters emotions aren't as important. However for the purpose of the first few chapters, this won't be the case, as you will need to get used to the personalities and mannerisms of the characters.**

**The next two chapters will be long, purely for the purpose of you getting to know each character. **

**By the way, Ken's height is 5'8".**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Prologue: Hopeful Introductions I**

Soundtrack: All Star Apologies [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Several images whirled around my head like a tornado as my eyes suffered the strain from the bright blue flares dancing on the chandelier.

_Where the fuck am I?_

My vision slowly recovered and I awoke in the ballroom which was dimly lighted by the blue candle lights.

_Did I drink too much vodka again? No- !_

_I remember the woman dressed in monochrome. _

_Her friendliness, her flirtatious nature and the way she bit her lip in sexual frustration- could you blame her? _

She must have acted on it for the purpose to ensure I got here… _but why?_

_I remember the cocktail…what was the name again?_

_She practically forced me to neck it until it was gone, and that was when I blacked out,_ _or maybe…_

…_this was simply a setup_! _A joke to scare us, humour us or whatever._

_I mean why would they go through the trouble of throwing away their money for a flashy limo for time barely spent enjoying the experience? They wouldn't even bother hiring a lady so fit either. _

Soundtrack: Paused

Overthinking this isn't the time and place anyway. After recollecting my thoughts I looked back up to my refurbished vision to see three people gawping at me as if I fell out some spacecraft.

_They must be the other talented students! _

On that realisation I began to sweat with embarrassment.

Soundtrack: Beautiful Days (Piano) [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Finally, sleepy-head has woken up!"

"About time!"

"Aw, he was a cute as a kitten before he woke up!"

_Wait! I still am cute!_

Voices bounced from all of the walls in the room as I remained dazed staring up at the ceiling.

"Have I just fallen from the ceiling? Or maybe have something on my nose?" I asked with sarcasm breaking the uncomfortable icy atmosphere.

"No, I think it's your frosty blue eyes, man, they have really chilled us to the bone, heh," a voice teased with a delicate voice.

_Is that a compliment?_

The comical guy offered a hand and helped me to my feet.

"Pleased to meet ya, call me Shogo Hishimori"…

* * *

><p><strong>Shogo Hishimori (18) 6'1" - [ Super High School W.H.O.R.E ]<strong>

_Soft, blonde, neck-length hair, lose lavender shirt, top half un-buttoned and cream pants and brown slippers…_

* * *

><p>Shogo Hishimori? <em>That's right!<em> It was the 'sexual pest' – a name the media often slapped on him due to his sexual activities with the daughters from politicians and celebrities. He is known for attracting both gals and guys with this effeminate facial features and sexy aura he apparently signals out.

"Hey mate, my name is Ken," I introduced grasping a firm handshake.

_The mysterious limo escort was still on my mind. Maybe Shogo may know something about it! _

"I don't suppose you've seen a masked lady wearing monochrome?"

"Nah, my eyes are like those of a hawk… but… If your ding-a-ling is tingling there is plenty of chicks to get cosy to later!" Shogo's feisty eyes narrowed to several female students in the ballroom.

_His sexual innuendos are so inappropriate right now!_

As my eyes processed the remains of the ballroom, it became clear I ended up where I was supposed to.

_Why was I asleep though?_

"Am I the only one who managed to drink myself to sleep?"

"Nar! We 'yall been as snug as a bug!" A girl with a country accent was next greeting me.

"Howdy partner, ya can call me Fukumoto, Fukumoto Shoko!"

* * *

><p><strong>Fukumoto Shoko (18) 5'1" - [ Super high-school Rodeo Star ]<strong>

_Light blue eyes, with strawberry blonde hair tied in a tight long braid, pear shaped figure, thin black eyeliner, blue jeans, elk skin boots, a brown Stetson and a red plaid shirt worn in a revealing manner. _

* * *

><p>Her country accent, thick like syrup, brought back a faint memory of when she was on TV being rewarded for the best female rodeo rider. She sure got hurt often due to the dangerous sport, but that didn't stop her from eventually being the best rodeo star in the nation.<p>

"I'm hankerin' for some good ol' brown gargle, looks I'll be waitin' t'll the cows come home!" Her domineering voice bellowed.

_Brown gargle? As much as I tried to understand what she was on about, I just couldn't._

"So the both of you also woke up here?" I asked.

"It appears so, I had the chance to take advantage of that sweet delicate peach with the spunky farmyard accent while she was asleep," Shogo fantasised, his eyes evaporating by Fukumoto presence.

"Sweet nibblets! If I had my druthers you'd b' getting' a good ol' spankin' right now!" She scolded.

"Well that's enough temptation for me to get closer to you," he aggravated her in his soothing tone.

_I best let Fukumoto rip chunks out of him- aha!_

_At least now it's clear that I wasn't the only student to haven woken up in this ballroom. _

_Were we drugged?_

"Please excuse his outspoken behaviour, ahaha!," A girl spoke with a light American accent. A sporty dressed girl gave me a confident smile and followed by lightly shaking my hand. "Nice to meetcha dude, my name is Kairu Hikari"…

* * *

><p><strong>Kairu Hikari (16) 5'4" [ Super high-school: Basketball Player ]<strong>

_Emerald eyes, fair skin, red hair with slight curls tucked under a green woolly beanie hat, white buttoned shirt with an orange over-vest, small green skirt, black leggings and brown boots._

* * *

><p>I faintly recognize her from sports magazines and in the occasional TV sports broadcasts. She is constantly winning various basketball competitions in Japan as well as her hometown country America.<p>

"I-I know you! You are from the Royal Blue Bandits! Tell me I'm right!" She pleaded in excitement.

"You got it! I knew I had a hot female fan waiting for me in here. I can give you my autograph later," I casually goaded taking her comment in my stride.

"Bleh! Bleh! No, no, no! Not for me… My adoptive sister lurves your music, not sure she takes admiration to you though…" She scowled, rolling her eyes.

"Way to go and kills a man's confidence, eh?" Shogo voiced my thoughts, chuckling discretely.

"Sheesh! Why am I surrounded by hot heads?" She shrugged, clenching her fists. "Anyway, you mentioned a lady dressed in monochrome, right?" Kairu recalled.

"Yeah that's right, she was gettin' all cosy and that, the next thing I remember she used her sexual nature to take advantage of me… and that is what I can remember…"

"How odd... We were in the exact same position, but instead of a lady dressed in monochrome it was a man, a very attractive young- …wait! What am I saying? He was a creepy pervert!"

_Wow, was she getting excited about her male escort?_

"So it seems we all played through the same sort of events… but you mentioned 'we'?" I asked.

"Oh yeh. All the girls here were accompanied by a male escort." Kairu clarified. "Hold on, Rina knows more about it! Y-you have not been introduced to each other yet have you?" she blushed, scratching the back of her ear. "Rina, come and introduce yourself...," she called, but there was no response.

I scanned the ballroom and noticed the girl, Rina, attending to something on the table…

Something more familiar caught my eye…

I-It was the same bottle I saw in the limo, labelled **'Indulgent Despair'**!

The girl then grasped the bottle ready to pour the poison liquor into a glass.

_No, no, no! She can't drink that crap!_

"NO, DON'T DRINK THAT!" My voice shot out like a gunfire silencing the noise in the ballroom. And then…

_*SMASH*_

Pieces of glass scurried across the wooden floor in the dim lighted room and the sound of dripping became amplified as we all became quiet. Until…

…that voice grated on me again.

"Ya young'uns are a crazy bun o' chickens ain't ya," Fukumoto sighed, shaking her head.

"Tttt, I was looking forward to drinking that!" Rina sighed. She tiptoed over the pieces glass coming towards us. "What's the big deal guys?! I don't have a drink in so long due to my pilot duties and when the time comes when I can actually drink I can barely take one tiny sip of it! I-I think that was the last bottle as well…" She whined.

"Rina? Chill ya beans. You missed this guy wake up, yet we've been chatting for the last ten minutes!" Kairu cursed, shaking her head at her clumsy girl. "Anyway tell him more about that creepy male escort."

"I was looking for the loo for AGES and I eventually found it…" Rina revealed. She turned her focus on me with a warming smile. "All I remember was that the escort seemed to be following orders by someone with a higher authority…"

_I remember now. Initially the escort must have portrayed a false persona… _

"Anyway, introductions! Sorry, who were you again? It doesn't matter. I'm Rina! Rina Kimura."

* * *

><p><strong>Rina Kimura (17) 5'8" - [ Super High School Pilot ]<strong>

_Emerald eyes, elegant, long brown hair reaching mid-back, athletic body, lightly tanned skin, dark blue blazer over a light green t-shirt, blue jeans and white running shoes. _

* * *

><p>I vaguely recall seeing her name when my mum brought back a brochure of the holiday she was supposedly attending last year. Rina has taken part in many aerobic displays in her very own plane she called the 'scarlet scorcher'.<p>

"My name is Ken. A 'thank you' wouldn't go a miss for saving your life," I teased.

"What do you mean?" She looked at me confused.

"That champagne you were just about to pour down that beeeauuuutiful body is poisonous my sweet cherry pie," Shogo explained flirtatiously with a voice like silk.

"Do you remember anything after collapsing in the limo?" I asked.

"No, not really, everything has been a bit of blur. I was the second to wake up. I felt spaced out when I saw these dead people around me at first, but then they started to wake up gradually." She explained.

_Wait! If she was the second to awake… the first person to wake up may have seen something! _

"Who was the first person to wake up?" I asked.

"That happened to be me!" A voice boomed from a few metres away. A guy, who looked like a tyrant, came towards us with a big cheesy smile his feet heavily pounding the floorboards.

"Speaking of the devil," Kairu said referring to the man.

"As far as greetings go, you can call me Hirosuke Kanmaru!"

* * *

><p><strong>Hirosuke Kanomaru (18) 6'2" - [ Super High School Bodybuilder ]<strong>

_Very broad and muscular with a brick-like anatomy, tan complexion, friendly brown eyes, long thick black hair reaching to his back, well-shaped goatee, extra-large black leather jacket over a grey tank top, blue cargo pants and blue high-cut sneakers. _

* * *

><p>Built like a brick, Hirosuke is a common face that advertises protein drinks and fitness supplements. However his physique is nearly all gained through diet and exercise. He is a common face to fitness magazines and has won several strength related competitions in the nation.<p>

_Here I was thinking I'd be the alpha-male, but whoa…_

_He could flatten me to a pancake in seconds! Let's hope he's nice…_

He reached out for a handshake with monstrous hands. "Glad to meet you Ken!" he spoke with his booming giant voice. I accepted the handshake weary that my bones were going to crack in the process, but I was surprised how light his handshake actually was.

_Phew! _I silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"The good news is that everybody here is alive. In addition we can now begin discussing our situation since you were the last to wake up! However… it may be good idea for you to finish introductions." He advised.

_He had an older-brother feel about him, but maybe that was due to his size. _

"So you were the first to wake up? Did you notice anything strange?" I asked.

"Nothing of the sort! I woke up and believed I had just been in some strange wrestling match and beat the crap out of everybody. But then I realized it's not in my nature to do such a thing. HA HA!" He guffawed.

_Well that doesn't help us understand why we are here…_

I couldn't help but notice a guy observing me from behind Hirosuke. His eyes scanned like a check-out machine in the supermarkets.

"HA! Here I am babbling on like some lecturer, I completely forgot about my partner who helped me to ensure everybody in here was okay!" Hirosuke laughed.

The guy in hiding noticed my weary gaze at him.

"I do apologize, I was mentally taking notes. It's a bit of a bad habit reporters pick up unfortunately. So excuse my intrusion." He apologized, revealing himself from out of Hirosuke's shadow. "Please call me, Yuko Yamada!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yuko Yamada (18) 5'10" - [ Super High School Reporter ]<strong>

_Dark tan complexion, with sharp green eyes behind big, squared, black framed glasses, white sports jacket over a plain black t-shirt, white dress pants, polished black dress shows and a mental necklace made from orange beads. _

* * *

><p>Yuko was in the TV spotlight when he found a rare sapphire diamond in the Niagara Falls. After the exposure his passion for media reporting has increased greatly. He's very enthusiastic who is definitely a people person.<p>

He came closer to me burdened with a confused expression… and then his eyes lit up.

"Ken! The teen-tearaway who turned to drugs in the early years of the "Royal Blue Bandit's" formation! You are looking well I see- ah! No smoky smudges under your eyes, pearl white teeth and hair which nourished from the brittle haystack it used to be!" He divulged as he examined my jacket with his hand.

_Whoa, where do the insults stop? _

_He either admires me, or is using this time to drag me down with insults. Are they insults?_

"And further down you may find out you can twist his golden doorknob," Shogo teased.

_Will he ever stop with these sexual remarks…_

After that joke remark I immediately swept Yuko's hand from my jacket. "Ahahaha… no… only my fan girls are allowed to touch. Guys can look, but no touching," I chuckled.

"I'm very sorry; I was just moments away from interviewing you on your "Persian Leopard" tour! I am actually a huge fan, not so your music, but more of the lifestyle you and your bandmates lead. You are the perfect models to feed news stories to the nation!" He complimented in a fashion.

_Is that all he wants off me… juicy information?_

"It seems not many people are a fan of you music Ken," Kairu snickered.

"Statistics actually point out the "Royal Blue Bandits" have one fan in every eight people, so I would be careful when offending him," Yuko revealed.

"Geez, don't make his head any bigger!" Kairu remarked.

"May I introduce myself now?" A soft voice emerged from behind me. I looked back to see a distinctively dressed girl.

"EEEUGK! Damn girl, I forgot you were here!" Shogo shrieked

"She sure lives up to her high school title, eh?" Rina stated.

I looked back to see a girl with a ghostly complexion. She stood there… almost like an _actual _ghost.

"What is her title?" I asked intrigued.

"Gina here is a famous ghost hunter!" Hirosuke bellowed.

_Hehe… I was on the mark…_

* * *

><p><strong>Gina Higarashi (17) 5'6" - [ Super High School Ghost Hunter ]<strong>

_Big grey eyes with thin lips and a feint crooked smile, short, light purple hair highlighted with pink tints with long side bangs reaching to her shoulders, skinny physique and pale skin, she wears a black vest with pockets, underneath is a black and magenta striped long sleeved shirt, she wears black skirt, black ripped leggings and grey boots. _

* * *

><p>From first impressions, she looked like a typical social outcast- by choice that was. I have only ever seen her name in books, but typically I'm not a reader, so I couldn't remember which ones they were. This girl LOOKED like a ghost hunter; she had dim grey eyes and dark bags under them.<p>

"What's you're talent again?" She asked quietly in a monotone voice, barely carrying any emotion.

"Super high school guitarist!" I announced in pride.

"…Well that sounds boring, hehehehe," she giggled eerily.

_I was tempting to respond, maybe insult her a little… buuuuut a ghost hunting sounded pretty exciting… just not if I went ghost hunting with her._

"Well considering this bizarre circumstance, would you say there is something paranormal going on?" I asked.

"Hehehehe… Ghosts shun themselves away from cameras silly. Other than that this would be a perfect picnic for ghosts with the elimination of electrical lighting and no cell phones," she explained in her quiet tone.

I reached to my pockets to find out my phone wasn't there.

_Damn!_ _It must have fallen out in the limo._

I recalled Gina mention the cameras and glanced around the room to notice they were dome like attached to various places on the ceiling. That wasn't the only strange thing I noticed… TV monitors, old fashioned and mouldy yellow, were also seen on the walls at the far end of the room. A 42" x 40" monitor screen was fixed onto a square pillar based at the centre of the ballroom.

"Does anyone have any clue why these monitors look so out of place in here?" I asked.

"They're obviously part of the entertainment for tonight! Ya know- music and what not!" A girl exclaimed gleefully.

I looked to my right to see a girl emerge from navy blue curtains cutting through half of the ginormous stage holding a monochrome coloured box.

"Sayuri! How did I nearly forget you were here?! HA HA HA!" Hirosuke chuckled, again, dominating the atmosphere.

"Well why you guys with chitty chatting, I thought I'd skip-a-doodle around this room and look for anything which explains why half of us are playing dead and why we are actually locked up in this, eh… creepy looking room."

She planted her energetic eyes on me and skipped towards me like a typical fan girl.

_Ka-ching! One fan in the bag!_

She dropped the box before my feet. "Hi! Name's Sayuri Hiraoka, the SHSL Cheerleader. How 'bout you?"

* * *

><p><strong>Sayuri Hiraoka (17) 5'2" - [ Super High School Cheerleader ]<strong>

_Pink eyes, fairly tanned skin light blonde hair tied to the right, some falling in front of her face, her hair is accessorised with a plum bow. Typical cheerleading outfit in the colour of pink, short sleeveless shell top, cuts off at a 'V' before her belly button, plum stripes across outfit._

* * *

><p>Cheerleading is what as part of the package with Sayuri, with so much charisma she has been noticed for leading cheerleading squads and also being front girl in most of the performances.<p>

_So misleading! The way she approached really made me believe she had a crush… or at least a fan._

"I'm a guitarist; name is Ken Rokurou, nice to meet you."

My eyes instantly drew to her. She was extremely attractive. I didn't know who she was, but my heart was in flutters; however I managed to keep my cool, despite Shogo approaching her like she was some helpless prey.

"The name is Shogo, the super-high school charmer who can bag any for any girl he wants." Shogo approached her slickly.

"Dumb ass! You have already introduced yourself to her, don't traumatize her with another cringe introduction," Kairu jibed.

"I can settle for a second introduction," she smiled sweetly at me and Shogo.

_Aha! Settle for that one Kairu!_

"So what is the box Sayuri?" An eager Yuko asked.

"Weeellll, they're gadgets called 'e-handbooks', sixteen of them all together, each with a name sticker on them." Sayuri went round the group handing out the e-handbooks.

Curious, I opened mine straight away and the screen lit up brightly revealing my name, but that was it, I could get access to anything else despite the menu bar sitting beside it.

* * *

><p><em><strong> E-HANDBOOK / OPEN **_

_+ Map_

_+ Rules_

_+ Report cards_

All three options were unresponsive and repeatedly tapping them with my finger didn't help.

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE **_

* * *

><p>"R-rules!? We're adults now! Noooow I understand the lack of booze in this place…" Shogo moaned playing with the gadget.<p>

"Hush mister I-get-my-knickers-in-a-twist, we don't know _what_ the rules are yet," Sayuri implied.

"It seems very unlikely they'd be a rule concerning drink, since we were all near enough forced to drink that 'Indulgent Despair'," announced Hirosuke rubbing his chin. "Let's continue our thoughts on that later."

Hirosuke highlighted a valid point which made me further question to why we were actually here.

"But isn't there 16 handbooks? There is only nine of us here." Rina observed.

_She was right. If it's true that there should be 16 of us all together then where would the others be? Still in their own limo? Or maybe they're somewhere in this hotel?_

"While you went missing for a while, the other students used the elevator to access the other floor." Kairu explained to Rina.

"You were gone for a remarkable long time," Yuko summed.

"Were you shitting out rocks?" Hirosuke asked.

"N-no! A girl's business is a girl's business!" She sharply responded.

"Oh and that's right! We asked Juighe to suss out why the elevator couldn't access any of the other floors!" Sayuri recalled.

"Well it's highly possible that we have problems with electricity." Hirosuke guessed.

"Well our e-handbooks seem to be working… and the lights on the chandeliers?" Rina replied in confidence.

_Wait?_ _E-handbooks are battery powered and the lights on the chandeliers are real flames. _

_I wanted to correct her, but I pitied her lack of awareness and by the silence of situation everyone must have felt the same._

_*tip-tap-tip-tap*_

The gentle sound of nervous footsteps took hold of my attention. I looked over to see another student walking towards the group with his head down, occasionally propping it up but lowering it once engaging eye contact with the rest of the group.

"YAY! Juighe has managed to fix the elevator!" Sayuri jumped striking a cheerleader pose. "Now… let's get some waiter or waitress to supply us with some more champagne and wine!"

_I somehow think that's an unlikely possibility._

"N-n-no no, no. Th-that is definitely wrong… I-I d-didn't fix… it," Juighe stuttered.

"Darn! That boy so stupid, he cudn't find his ass with both hands!" Fukumoto criticized.

"What a wasteful student… What was you doing for so long, masturbating!?" Shogo pitied.

"N-n-no! N-not at a-all!" He continued to stutter, but this time more blunt. "I-I-I was s-s-sc-scared to c-come back."

"Whose idea was it to send Juighe to evaluate the elevators anyway? Especially if you take into consideration his disappointing high-school talent title." Yuko questioned.

"That was me!" Rina gleefully confessed.

The other students let out a loud sigh.

"Why are you standing at such a long distance man?" I asked facing him with my confused expression.

"Some of us… don't bite…" Shogo teased with his soft voice.

"HA! I'm like a bulldog craving a big juicy bone!" Hirosuke laughed with his hands against his waist.

"Hehehe… We should consider that he has yet to introduce himself to Ken and reveal this… unique… title of his." Gina's still voice emerged.

"Ermm, errm," Juighe dawdled, fidgeting with his fingers.

"I guess I'll kick-start this intro then," I broke the awkward silence "My name is Ken!" I introduced.

I looked at his clothing, but couldn't guess of a title that would fit his appearance.

_It was ordinary…_

"They left you to do sort the elevator, eh? Are you some sort of super high-school mechanic?" I guessed.

"N-no," he briefly giggled nervously. "P-please don't falsely honour me w-with a t-t-tile so incred-d-dible," he warned me panicking. Eventually he came closer. "I'm K-Ketkar Juighe...nice to meet y-you... super high-school… erm… erm… u-unluckster…"

_Well that explains a lot!_

* * *

><p><strong>Kektar 'Juighe' (17) 5'7" - [ Super High School UNLuckster]<strong>

_Red eyes, with a noticeable scar across eyebrow, bandage on cheek, purple, short messy hair with a small ahoge on top, basic red creased hoodie over black t-shirt, holed jeans, sand brown shoes._

* * *

><p>To be rewarded a placement at this venue made no sense at all. To be rewarded for being unlucky? As imagined, this guy was completely unknown to me, possible due to the sheer lack of luck he had. So why was he here?<p>

"Th-this is the o-o-only b-bit of luck… in m-my life. So I a-am g-g-grateful t-to be here." He finished still staring at the ground.

"Why don't you take a Ken to the next floor and so he can introduce himself to the final five students?" Hirosuke suggested to Juighe.

"I-I h-honestly b-b-believe I… um… lack the sk-skills for that role," Juighe mumbled chattering his teeth.

"Yur as handy as a cow on a crutch!" Fukumoto criticized, using her sarcastic farmer's slang.

"Wait! Rina has yet to introduce herself to the other students." Kairu remarked.

"Well then Ken, let's go together and finish our introductions!" Rina beamed.

"Don't the pair of ya's get frisky in that elevator," Shogo virtually poked with his humour.

Soundtrack: Stopped

We both approached the far end of the room to the elevator. What a strange bunch of peeps I've met. Could it get any more bizarre?

_To be continued…_

**A/N: I really hope I have portrayed every character well. I really enjoyed writing the intros out. If you have any problems PM me of course. **

**This chapter is lengthy due to the purpose of characterization. **

**The following characters will be introduced next chapter…**

**Akihiko Sato – Super high-school Vigilante [****Heroi Oscura****]**

**Alice Amour – Super high-school Baker [15Lives]**

**Daisuke Rokino – Super high-school Video game player [LonelyDesert]**

**Neith Takary – Super high-school Bully [NellisTable]**

**Junsuina Takami – Super high-school Model [Unicorn819]**

**Sophia Menglelberg – Super high-school Puzzler [****yin-yang-rose-ninja-angel****]**


	4. Prologue: Hopeful Introductions II

**A/N: Just want to say a BIG friendly thank you for you guys who are supporting my story! I really do appreciate it. I do hope this continued throughout the story. **

**I am terrible sorry for the OC who didn't make the cut, they were amazing, but like I said before, 16 is the limit. If any of you wanna raise an issue about your character, just PM me. I do hope I have portrayed them well. Anyway… Second chapter of Intros!**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Prologue: Hopeful Introductions II**

_So what I can gather so far is that each and every one of us were picked up by a limo to attend this ceremony to reward us for our various talents. Every one of us were greeted by a fit escort from the opposite sex and was then persuaded to drink, what was supposed to be champagne, but in fact it was a vile poison called 'Indulgent Despair'. _

_This poison knocked us unconscious and the next thing we all remember was awakening in the ballroom where the party was supposed to be held. But instead of an electrified atmosphere filled with laughter and joy, it was dark, gloomy and most of all mysterious._

_What was going on?_

_*tap* *tap*_

Soundtrack: Beautiful Days (Piano) [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Rina's continuous tapping distracted me from recollecting recent events. We were both standing in the elevator for about ten minutes now trying to figure out which floor this elevator could take us too.

"Are you pressing each button randomly?" I asked impatiently.

"Um… Yeh, and now I cannot remember which buttons I have pressed." She dimly answered continuing to tap the buttons at random.

"_*sigh*" _my heavy sigh of relief was enough to make her aware my patience was running short. "Why not start from the top and work your way to the bottom?"

"Perfect idea! Why didn't I think of that before?" She responded upbeat.

_Is it not just common sense?_

"What kind of hotel has 33 floors anyway?" I queried.

_Not that she would have any idea._

She was silent until… "Aha!"

Then at that moment, my body felt as light as a paperclip as the elevator doors shut and we ascending to another floor, floor 32.

"High five!" She gestured. We slapped our palms lightly together and exchanged victorious smiles as we moved upwards in the elevator.

"Two floors up… So the ballroom was on floor 30 then," I analysed.

"Yep! I am so looking forward to meeting the other students. Don't you think this experience is fun an exciting? It's a little bit like hide-and-seek isn't it?" She asked.

"Yeh, but who is doing the hiding? Someone else? Us? If so, who is trying to seek us?" I abruptly asked dampening her energetic mood.

_She had such an upbeat attitude. But she can't be that stupid to think that this is normal… I suppose more answers will come from our findings on the next floor._

_But what played on my mind the further we got up was the floors below us… What floors could they possibly be? And why is it taking so long for us to reach the two floors above us?_

_ - Floor 34 | Dorm Area - _

_*bing*_

The doors drew open. Immediately a bright coloured 'thing' dashed past the entrance to the floor.

_What the hell was that thing?_

Rina began to make her way out the elevator.

"Wait." I grabbed her wrist, worried on what blur just dashed past us.

"What is it?" She asked.

"You did see it right? The animal… It might be dangerous." I warned her.

"Nah. Come! I bet ya it was nothing but a big spider!"

_I highly doubt it was… but even more of a reason to not take a step further!_

_Either way I admire her bravery!_

We edged our feet closer and closer towards the entrance of the next floor. My feet were slightly more hesitant than Rina's. Then we both propped our heads outside like two frightened kittens. Slowly our eyes began to capture a corridor but-

_!_

"NYAHHHH!" A grey-haired boy screamed.

"WOAAAH!" Our voiced collided together as we came face to face with what looked like another student.

"Didja see the cat scrammin' about the halls!" The lad panted.

_A cat? Could that have been what we saw?_

"We saw something of the sort, but it didn't look like a typical cat." I informed.

"It's been…*sigh* playin' crafty games with us… *sigh* for a while now," the lad informed us, still recovering his breath. "I will stop that villain with everything I have!" He vowed heroically. He gestured for a handshake, "You must be the fellow students who I have yet to make acquaintances with. I am your saviour, Bullet Grey, now let's unite and bring justice!"

* * *

><p><strong>Bullet Grey (18) 5'8" - [ Super High School <strong>**Vigilante**** ]**

_Big grey goggles covering his eyes, scraggly grey hair that sticks up, scrawny body, arm and leg guards, a belt consisting of various gadgets. White t-shirt with 'BG' bang in the middle, grey pants and a grey jacket over shoulders acting as a cape._

* * *

><p>Bullet Grey obviously was an undercover name, but it didn't ring any bells. He sure was a mystery considering the crime ratio increasing in Japan, some Vigilante he is…<p>

"My name is Ken, super high school guitarist. This is Rina, she's a super high school pilot," I introduced. However quicker than my words, Rina unexpectedly sprinted off down the corridor.

"I just caught a glance of the cat! Catch you later!" Rina bellowed joyfully.

_Wow! She's fast! Is there any point following her? I mean Bullet Grey said this cat is only playing game, so it can't be dangerous… can it? _

"Extremely pleased to meet you. I must return to my heroic duties, now I have recruited a pilot girl partner in our mission to catch the criminal cat. Please use this time to meet the remaining civilians!" He advised as if I _actually _was a civilian.

Leaving me baffled and feeling as if I had just read a Marvel comic book, he ran _much slower _than Rina down the corridor.

_Some super hero, eh?_

_Guess I'm a lone soldier now Rina has left me… Either way, introductions won't happen by magic. _

I took an alternative route, down a different corridor, to prevent being ambushed by Bullet Grey again. As I looked around I realized this must be the floor our rooms are located.

It became obvious as I came to face to face with a cartoon display picture of myself nailed onto the door.

_No room number? What's this badly drawn cartoon picture of me doing on my door? It doesn't do my face justice at all!_

_More to the point, what happened to confidentiality? I know I'm a celebrity but I don't want every screaming girl knocking on my door at 3am in the morning… Well, unless I decide to throw a party of course._

Immediately I twisted the door knob, eager to see what was behind the door.

_*click* _

_No use._

"Dude, are you not paying attention? There's a finger reader whadjamacallit by the side of the door. It activates by scanning your finger," a guy informed me exiting his own room.

"Ah… yeh," I replied embarrassed by stupidity. I located the fingerprint door lock beside the door.

"*yawn*, anyhow. I take it you're the lazy student that was last to wake up, eh?" He asked with a tired voice.

"Yup, unfortunately I was the last one of em'. The guys down below informed me you were exploring up here?" I said.

"Nah, as soon as I found my room I had a light snooze. I mean the craziness of the situation is a bit draining right?"

_And he has the cheek to call me lazy…_

"Yeh… By the way my name is Ken, super high school guitarist. Wanna introduce yourself?"

"*yawn* This is such a drag!" He yawned stretching his arms. "Duuude, I've introduced myself to every guy and gal her, intros are so dated now."

_Dated? This guy has barely any patience._

"Daisuke… Daisuke Rokino…"

* * *

><p><strong>Daisuke Rokino (19) 5'10" - [ Super High School <strong>**Video Game Player****]**

_Yellow eyes, black bedhead hair, light brown skin, short grey peacoat, orange v-neck, black jeans and orange sneakers._

* * *

><p>Many of my bandmates know him due to their interest in video games. He is on the top leader boards on various game titles, mostly the popular ones. Daisuke has never lost against anyone on online tournaments and is a legend within the video game industry.<p>

"Taken a break from video games I see?" I asked.

"Aha, nah they have hooked me up a console in my room and… *yawn*, even blocked out… the light with some thick material. Cool dontcha think?"

_Blocked out the lights, with… thick material?_

"I suppose so, but what hotel room has video consoles?" I asked intrigued.

"Dude, I haven't got the time to think about it." He moaned impatiently. "I'm gonna meet the guys in that ballroom and have my second attempt of finding the damn coffee… and then… *yawn*… I'll go back to sleep." He stated in his deep, wearily voice.

_He's sure not taking this situation seriously at all. _

"Ciao." He dragged his feet towards the elevator.

_Doubt he'll find his coffee…_

Having now located the finger sensor pad, I was struck with confusion to why such a gadget is necessary.

_Surely the traditional card key would be less hassle? Either way._

I pressed down my finger tip.

Soundtrack: Paused

_*click*_

The door unlocked.

_*kreeen*_

_ - Ken's Bedroom - _

Inside was… well…

_What the hell?_

Soundtrack: Left In Suspense [Sword Art Online OST]

Confusion was my instant feeling as I stepped into the room of familiarity and suspense. I was like a jug, overflowing with various emotions.

_This wasn't a normal hotel room… It was like my bedroom!_

Posters of photo shoots, member portfolios and album art from my band covered the wall. Playboy magazines was scattered across the floor, pages wide open of big breasts and other raunchy shoots. My Charvel branded guitar was propped up against the wall appearing almost identical to my one at home.

The only thing that was remotely different was cameras and the same big, ugly, banana coloured monitor from what I saw earlier in the ballroom.

_What creep is monitoring us? Why are they even cameras in the bedroom? I can understand I'm amazingly famous and all, but even stars need their privacy._

I scanned the room to find I also had an en-suite showering facility with a mirror, toilet and sink.

However what was most freaky were metal plates slapped across the window and drilled in with big, chunky bolts.

_This is what Daisuke meant by 'thick material'._

_We are definitely imprisoned in this hotel. But for what reason?_

I recalled that Hirosuke informed us that we would discuss our situation once introductions were finished. So answers had to wait for a moment, as much as I wanted them now.

Soundtrack: Paused

I exited my room, with the rolling waves of nausea rocking away in my stomach.

_ - Floor 34 | Dorm Area - _

Soundtrack: Beautiful Days (Piano) [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Stepping outside, straight away I came into contact with another student. It was a girl, leaning against the side of wall, near my dorm.

"Hiya! Please don't assume I am eavesdropping," she reassured me with a smile. "I know our current situation is a little surreal, and entering a hotel room which turns out to almost replicate our bedrooms at home is even creepier."

Her presence alone was comforting, but it was nice to have a student who openly voiced their opinion on the situation.

"The steel plates making this place like a prison is my biggest concern," I stressed.

_Wait! I'm supposed to be the calmer one here. Stressing out in front of a girl isn't attractive!_

"I mean, they're just probably there because of broken glass or something. Or maybe we have some keen fans out there screaming our names from the top of their lungs." I chuckled nervously.

"Y-you really think that might the case?" She questioned, appearing almost agreeable to my likely misjudgement.

"Haha, yeh. Absolutely nothing to worry about!" I lied. "Let's forget about all these conspiracies! I'm Ken, a super high-school guitarist, from the band, 'Royal Blue Bandits'!" I greeted with a little forced enthusiasm.

"Junsuina Takami, but Junsi, will be fine,"

* * *

><p><strong>Junsuina (Junsi) Takami (17) 5'7" [ Super High-school Model]<strong>

_Caramel like skin, navy eyes, purple freckles, onyx black hair reaching collarbones with turquoise tips, part of her hair is clipped back with a silver skull hair clip, cat-like black eyeliner, black upper thigh-length skirt, lavender buttons and suspenders, black short sleeved shirts, black flats and black knee-high socks._

* * *

><p>I somehow feel like I've seen her before. She has a recognizable face, but she is far to fit to be fan girl and she doesn't seem to be the type to listen to heavy music. I'd take a guess and say she is a model.<p>

"I believe we briefly met before… But at a slightly awkward situation." She revealed.

_So I was right! But why was it awkward? _

_Don't say I banged her while I was drunk…_

"I'll apologize in advance if it's something bad," I blushed.

"You posed almost naked with your bandmates for last year's issue of "Skin Tight", I was modelling lingerie and I was having my photo shoot in the same room as you." She exclaimed.

I suddenly felt like a human radiator that was turned on by embarrassment and exposure… but then her lastname suddenly rang a bell. Changing subject for all the right reasons I remembered her appearance on a TV show.

"I remember you from the 'Takami Beauty'! What a beauty you were!" I stated.

And then her eyes disconnected… she looked slightly outraged.

_Ooops! That is my gentleman manners just been chucked out the window._

"Something that boys like you drool over right?" She said sharply. Her body language suddenly changed as if she was closing me off. "Chat later sweetheart, we can talk more about your _naked_ photo shoot then."

_Did I flick some sort of personality switch? Whatever I said, she seemed offended by it and walked away._

The atmosphere suddenly felt awkward, but the next arrival sure charged it back up. Two students approached me, one excitedly jogged towards me, waving, beaming a friendly smile.

"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Alice Amour!" A gleeful voice greeted.

Dressed like a light bulb, she energetically jumped at me to introduce herself and gave me a light hug.

* * *

><p><strong>Alice Amour (16) 5'4" - [ Super High School Baker]<strong>

_Fair skin, green eyes, very long chestnut brown hair tied in two long ponytails, one on each side, a yellow dress tied with a large pink ribbon, pink flat shoes_

* * *

><p>My mouth immediately dried upon hearing her name and then I felt myself drool. She was a very talented baker with unique recipes which are top secret. The thought of warm, crusty baguettes and ginger spiced cookies instantly made me more enthusiastic greeting her.<p>

"Hey, really nice to meet you! My name is Ken, super high-school guitarist!" I beamed like the sun

"Comment allez-vous?"

_Heh… her introduction wasn't just an exciting way to greet me… she's ACTUALLY French?_

_Shit… What do I say now? _

"Um…Do you… speak… English?" I asked her slowly and awkwardly.

"Oh!" She voiced astonishingly. Her cheeks turned beetroot, but she recovered with a big smile. "I'm sorry; I sometimes forget what language I am supposed to speak in. Hehe… A-anyway, how are you?"

"I suppose I'm okay."

_Was I really? _

"Si vous avez faim, venez me voir!" She exclaimed.

_I swear she is doing this on purpose now…_

"She was advising you to come and visit her if you were ever hungry," the girl next to her translated.

"So you speak French as well?" I asked, convinced I was right.

"That is incorrect. I am just quick to solve puzzles. Not crosswords or Sudoku puzzles you commoners may associate with. I am skilled at solving puzzles in all walks of life."

_Well that sounded patronizing!_

"As for names… you can call me Sophia."

* * *

><p><strong>Sophia Mengelberg (18) 5'5" - [ Super High School Puzzler ]<strong>

_Grey eyes, fair skin, long black curly hair presented exquisitely, gothic Lolita sense of fashion consisting of black and magenta colours, smoky black eye shadow and a black top hat._

* * *

><p>Her unique name and formal attitude mostly reminded me of her famous parents. She is known more commonly by the name 'Miss Layton' due to her puzzle solving skills in which she can solve without appearing overwhelmed.<p>

"Okay Soph', glad to meet you-"

"Sophia only!" She stressed folding her arms. "I frown upon what you call 'nicknames'. I am not your pet. I am simply your acquaintance for tonight's event."

_Acquaintance? Guess she's not the friendly type. _

_She conveyed no expression and her tone was cold and serious. _

"I think we are done with our introductions. It is very nice to meet you. Now, if you excuse me..."

Following our icy greeting, she left towards the elevator to join the main bulk of the group in the ballroom.

"Cheer up sugar plum! She'll settle in when she hits the Ramon Gin Fizz later tonight!" Alice reassured convincingly.

_I am sure Sophia isn't the drinking type…_

"I've not seen any alcohol here besides that indulgent despair," I stated, shuddering to the thought of it.

"Nah! Don't you worry. I'll just sneak into the kitchen later and whisk some up with some lime juice, egg, cream, sugar, soda water and gin. That'll make the perfect Ramon Gin Fizz!" She beamed packed with enthusiasm.

_Can we even access the kitchen? _

"I have yet to view my room yet! I'll see you shortly ya shortcake!" She said finding her room amongst the badly drawn portraits.

_Hopefully the sight of the metal bolted windows will remind her we are not in a five star hotel…_

Soundtrack: Paused

There was one final student to greet, but after roaming around the hallways for the past ten minutes I was beginning to think he was either in his room or downstairs in the ballroom with the others.

_I better not waste more time; I'll regroup with the students in the ballroom. Wandering alone in the dorm area was very lonely considering how silent it was. _

_Maybe Bullet Grey and Rina have found that weird animal wandering about._

However, as soon as I got the elevator…

Soundtrack: All Star Apologies [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Ken! Ken Ken!" Bullet panicked.

"Wha? D-did you find it!" I asked referring to the strange animal.

"Negative! Our search mission has been temporarily dismissed as we have a giant stampeding back down the ballroom!"

_A giant? I immediately though he was exaggerating, but if considering what's going on I was intrigued but nervous… _

"Well, wh-where is Rina?" I asked worried.

"She's front woman in our current crisis. Strip down to your super hero costume and let's unite and bring justice!" He asserted, dragging me by the arms into the elevator.

_Hold on! Strip down!? And he has left Rina down there with a GIANT!?_

In the elevator, Bullet continuously chanted out heroic quotes to the point where I wanted to become a villain myself and clotter him to death…

_*ping*_

We stopped before the doors that led to the ballroom.

_Was a giant really in here with the other students?_

And then… they opened…

_ - Floor 32 | Ballroom - _

Soundtrack: Buzzkill [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"RAWWWWWRGHH!" A violent scream burst out as a student ripped down the curtains in the ballroom.

This wasn't a giant… He was possibly one of the smallest students of the group. But Bullet was right, he was on the rampage.

All the students gathered back to the other end of the ballroom, confusingly gazing at what looked like a violent Chihuahua.

Watching his frustration and explosive behaviour perfectly depicted what I felt inside. He was out of control, but it almost felt normal considering the circumstances we were in.

"W-what the hell is he doing!?" Sayuri exclaimed.

Suddenly as the curtain collapsed, revealing another metal sheet plastered across the window…

_What the hell?_

"These blasting fuckers won't come off!" He growled in frustration.

"I-I th-th-think they m-maybe b-b-bolted?" Juighe forwarded nervously.

"Of course they're fucking bolted you pussy!" He barked.

"I'm… I'm s-so sorry! I m-most d-definitely didn't as-s-sume you l-lacked knowledge…" His words became quieter.

"You calling me stupid? Ya big girls blouse!" The student confronted.

The angry student continued attempting to pull the bolted steel plate, but with all his force it didn't budge.

"The little boy may be missing his mummy, let him throw his toys out the pram. Mummy will come to breast feed you shortly," Shogo aggravated the flared up student.

"Why do you have to include a sexual body part in every sentence?" Kairu added.

"You cheap Barbie look-a-like! Lemme reconstruct that butter face of yours!" He barked swiping the air with his fist.

"Please, let's all calm down," Rina spoke calmly towards him. Her soft words surprisingly calmed him down.

_Maybe he has a soft spot for women… Either way I best introduce myself, it'd be rude otherwise, right?_

Soundtrack: Beautiful Days [Dangan Ronpa OST]

I approached the last student who seemed to quieten down.

"Hey, it's probably not the best time to introduce myself, but, hey man. I'm Ken," I hesitantly introduced

"I'll say this once! Neith Takary is the name, wear it out and I'll wear your face out with my fists!"

* * *

><p><strong>Neith Takary (18) 5'2"<strong> **[ Super high-school Bully]**

_Blue eyes, short red curly hair mostly under a sports cap, ripped sleeves from a burgundy sweater torn blue denim jeans, one of the smaller males of the group._

* * *

><p><em>Wait! They've allowed a bully to enter a ceremony full of 'real' talents!<em>

His name brought back memories of school blazes, news stories of bullying and just the common word of mouth around Japan. Despite being quite a small guy, he often erupts like a volcano and acts before thinking, hence the numerous news stories.

"S-stop staring at me before I use that haystack of hair to mop the floor," he snapped firing his finger at me.

_Haystack? Again… really? My hair is better than his, hmph! _

_But I better stay sweet taking his history into account… _

_Oh and that the floor actually has pieces of glass scattered about from when Rina dropped the glass earlier… I don't wanna have glass stuck in my so-called haystack._

"Man I'm completely cool I don't mean to stare at you," I reassured him.

_Doubt it really helps though…_

"You fucking best not have been!" He roared, hiding his raging eyes under his cap.

...

Soundtrack: Beautiful Dead [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Now that we have all come to greet one another, I propose we discuss about our situation as a group. Let's make sure we are all on the right lines." Yuko proposed ardently pushing up his glasses.

"Okay. We've all come to terms on how we got here right?" Kairu asked.

"We were all seduced by the sheer temptation of sex and our intimate connection with our escort led us to act like dogs on a lead and follow their order of drinking the liquor, branded, Indulgent Despair, which was in fact a drug that knocked us out. We were then stripped down and-" Shogo's sexual version of events were stopped.

"Stop right there! We don't need to hear the added sexual fantasies of yours!" Kairu interrupted.

"She's right…how much acid drips off that tongue?" Junsi remarked.

"For those who have yet to explore the dormitory floor, we all have individual bedrooms decorated in accordance to our personal taste and our high school talent title." Sophia informed.

"Why is there cameras and monitors placed in our rooms though?" Alice asked.

"Duh! We are all celebrities. I bet we've all been put in some sort of reality game show. Like they do in the west!" Sayuri guessed confidently.

_That could actually be a possibility. _

"Well let's give them a big eye opener and get naked. I'm not a fussy guy, so form an orderly queue," Shogo stated.

"It is neither the place nor time for such crude comments, please use sensible and appropriate vocabulary if you wish to contribute to this conference," Sophia's words darted out.

"Erm…Can I speed things up and ask why are all the windows covered up with metal?" Rina asked.

_I think that was the question troubling every one of us… But no explanation would explain why it would be necessary. I didn't know where to start._

"Whoever organized tis partaay is as useless as tits on a bull!" Fukumoto complained.

_I think we're past thinking this is a party…_

"The effort that's gone into bolt these metal sheets up tells me that they're either hiding something dangerous from the outside world to keep us safe… or to keep the outside world safe from… us…or something inside here…" Kairu reckoned.

_I'm not sure why… but after hearing her view. I went so cold. _

_What could possibly be out there that we don't know about?_

_Stringing earlier events with Kairu's presumption also made matters more confusing. _

"What if this is an apocalypse! Or Godzilla may be running loose wreaking havoc in Tokyo!" Hirosuke remarked.

"Eh…D-don't t-t-tease us like that…," Juighe mumbled prodding both his fingers together.

"If that is case we shall contact Rina's comrades at the Royal Air Force and inform them to shoot down the monster!" Bullet proclaimed.

"I am not so sure about Godzilla, but upstairs me and Bullet found some strange …animal thing running recklessly. Not even I could catch him and I'm a fast runner!" Rina explained.

"I doubt some rabid animal would be running about in one of the top hotels," Kairu dismissed.

"Hehehe, maybe a side effect from drinking the 'Indulgent Despair' is hallucinating," Gina giggled.

_*Ding Dong Ding Dong*_

Soundtrack: Paused

The loud school-like bell chime clashed against Gina's soft tone and then…

It all became crystal clear…

We were definitely NOT alone…

This was when **IT** began…

"Mike test! Mike test! Can you kids hear me? I repeat can all of you hear me?"

_The voice, irritating, whiney and extremely discomforting… _

_What could it be?_

"Please make your way to the rooftop for the tremendous firework display to mark the opening of tonight's ceremony!" The voice informed.

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome [Dangan Ronpa OST]

It gave us simple instructions for an event that sounded a little more normal from what we have seen so far…

But I couldn't help feel_… cold._

An air of malaise whipped through the room and goosebumps rapidly grew across my body.

"YIPEE! Fireworks!" Sayuri screamed in joy.

_She can't be serious… her upbeat attitude failed to charge up the dampened atmosphere._

"That sure was hell creepy!" Kairu echoed my thoughts.

"I'm fucking ready to pound my fist into the face of this queer showman!" Neith growled.

"I-It is a little w-w-worrying, d-don't you ag-agree?" Juighe stuttered.

"We are left with no choice, pondering about here like lost sheep isn't going to give us answers." Hirosuke exclaimed.

"Let's unite and face this demon as a team, a team of justice!" Bullet's finishing words, whether they sounded stupid or not, were the last words we heard before stepping in the elevator.

I crammed in with the bunch of strangers I have barely got to know and then we went up. Our voices were trapped by the confusion and mystery that waited for us at the top of the hotel…

_*ping*_

The doors opened.

_Here we go…_

Soundtrack: Paused

**A/N: Hey! Sorry if the updates are taking longer than you guys expected. I a trying really hard, just have other, unfortunate, important commitments. But yeh, hopefully updates will be more often. **

**Since you are the readers, I was wandering your preferred way of next chapter's presentation. I can either continue to dialogue like this, or I can use more of a play script format, like…**

**CHARACTER A: (insert speech)**

**CHARACTER B: (insert speech)**

…**etc.**

**I'll leave it in your hands **


	5. Prologue: Despairing Introductions

**A/N: Yay! I have now finished the prologue! Looking forward to beginning chapter one! I will PM you all later to discuss your characters… **

**I'll inform you now that characters are NOT killed off at random… My choice on who I kill off depends on several factors such as how I feel they fit into the story, character which will mostly suffer by Monokuma's motive, some characters I may kill off simply because they may expire and have reached their potential in the story… of course if you are loyal to this fanfic the chance your character of surviving to the end increases… but it really depends on the other factors. **

**NOTE: Sophia's hair is actually red… I missed that detail out in my previous chapter… Can I also remind you to reference the introductory chapters if you forget about a characters appearance. **

**And thank you again for all your reviews and messages… they really keep this fic going. Now enjoy!**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Prologue: Despairing Introductions **

Soundtrack: Paused

I wasn't sure what the other students were expecting, but as soon as I heard the announcement of fireworks I suddenly felt more at ease… _That would explain why the windows were covered, to prevent ruining the surprise…_

But as we stood at the rooftop we came to realize the possibility that we were fibbed, by that out-of-place voice. It was empty, silent and disturbingly eerie.

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Kairu approached the edge of the rooftop where I came to notice that we surrounded with mesh fencing.

"Ngghh…" Kauri let out a painful grunt as she examined the material.

_What she doing?_

"Are you okay?" I asked in concerned.

"We are surrounded by razor sharp barbed wire," she revealed inspecting it further.

"Yeh its probs just there to protect us, I mean they wouldn't risk their guests falling would they?" Sayuri attempted to ease us.

"Eider way…everyone, stay away from that bob wire fence," Fukumoto advised.

_But why would it be razor sharp? _

"Wait, something else is troublesome about this situation," Yuko exclaimed. His words hooked us all as we waited eagerly for him to continue.

"*yawn*, duuuude… don't leave us on a cliff hanger, spit it out," Daisuke impatiently nagged him.

"Allow me… We are supposed to be in the heart of Tokyo, correct?" Sophia clarified.

We all nodded in agreement; until we noticed something… or should I say _should _be noticing something in our surroundings.

"You are right, no city lights… not even the Tokyo Skytree stands before us." Hirosuke observed.

"I was more concerned with the weather. It isn't the season for foggy weather… so what might appear to look like fog is actually cloud." Yuko finally disclosed.

"Urmmm… so I guess th-that means we are high… up," Hirosuke swallowed what appeared to be anxiety.

"Look at him, he's shakin' like an old dog shittin' logging chains," Fukumoto described brining all out attention to his nervous state.

"I can longer feel my legs! They're wobbling like jelly on a fine piece of straw! I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna fall!" Hirosuke fretted his voice becoming louder and louder.

"Not such the big guy now are ya! Heh!" Neith snidely remarked.

"Don't worry Hirosuke, we're fine. It's impossible to fall," Rina reassured him, lightly patting him on the back.

Kauri returned to the group attempting to somehow stop her bleeding index finger with her sleeve.

"Kairu!" Rina shouted in concern. She rushed to Kairu's aid and ripped her own t-shirt enough for it to bandage the blooded finger.

"Pfft, It's only a slight scratch," Kairu reassured us.

"This is all beginning to make perfect sense," Bullet analysed. He marched in front of the group so he could face us all like we were his audience. "While pilot girl attends to our K.O'd team member, I shall explain the villains plan."

"Speak up then and don't spew any bollocks this time!" Neith demanded.

"I don't have the supernatural ability to perform such thing! More to the point, you must not order your hero. I, Bullet Grey, shall lead you by my superb courage to the path that will claim justice!" He vowed.

"Reveal your theory behind this mystery then," Sophia urged, unimpressed.

But before he could spit out anymore heroic speeches something popped up from behind his head. It was a half-red and half-white cat.

"Regardez derrière vous!" Alice shouted in suspense pointing at the cat.

"I shall disregard such criticism to my duties!" Bullet pledged confidently, not understanding a word she said.

"Duh! She's instructing you to back away from that phantom thing behind you!" Junsi translated.

The girls caught our attention to a chibi-like cat sneaking behind Bullet.

_What the fuck…_

Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Tutoring [Dangan Ronpa OST]

At that point the cat's whiskers must have tickled his cheek as he jolted upwards and immediately swerved around.

"VILLIAN!" Bullet chastised firing his finger at the cat. "I have caught you at last! Now do the right thing and admit to your crimes!"

"Phantom… villain… all these hierarchy names are so splendid. Master would never describe his loyal servant with such passion!" The cat purred. He jumped off Bullet's back and stood before the group.

_Was that what was running wildly on the dormitory floor? What exactly is it?_

"Sweet nibblets! What in the name is that thing?" Fukumoto remarked.

"I've never seen such an ugly looking thing!" Shogo said.

"Isn't it like a cute kitten that has been resurrected from its corpse, hehehehe," Gina described admiring its appearance.

_Was that a compliment or insult? Either way this isn't normal._

"How does this machine speak so fluently?" Yuko asked intrigued.

"Enough!" Bullet instructed the group. "We demand an explanation to why we have been kidnapped, fiend!" He forcefully asked the cat.

"Silly, silly, silly kids, you must remember you came here voluntary, purr. Please, allow me to introduce my true self beyond these evil names you've labelled me," the cat began. He cleared his groggy throat, "I'm Akaneko, your deputy headmaster!"

* * *

><p><strong>Akaneko 2'2"<strong> **[ Deputy Headmaster ]**

_Skin split half red and half white, one black eye and on red, glowing eye shaped like a dagger… or a fish, crooked ears and bent whiskers, no belly button._

* * *

><p><em>Obvious remote controlled… it looks like some drugged up toy cat!<em>

"Wait! We're not in school anymore. If I remember rightly we're at a party… or _supposed _to be!" Sayuri whined in disappointment.

_I think we are beyond the idea of the party now…_

"Pl-please d-d-don't take me b-back to s-school… it *gulp*… was a t-t-torturous time… for me…" Juighe stuttered nervously while hiding his eyes beneath his hair.

"Nayaha! Does that mean I can go around beating the crap outta losers like Juighe!" Neith teased punching the palm of his hand in excitement.

"P-p-please, I have e-e-enough b-bruises… t-that a-are waiting… t-to recover!" Juighe pleaded slowly sidestepping away, embracing his chest with shaking arms.

"Violence is prohibited you bad, bad student!" Akaneko explained forcefully. "Now please take a look at the rules in your e-handbooks!" The cat instructed.

"E- whatta…?" Daisuke scratched his head in confusion.

"We have a naughty student and now a class clown, hehehe," Gina giggled pulling out her e-handbook gadget.

"You were too busy being all Mr. sleepy head earlier on," Sayuri lightly criticised him. "Hear ya go," she handed Daisuke the e-handbook.

"Please fill up those empty skulls with the rules and regulations!" Akaneko advised.

_So I did as instructed and nervously waited for the gadget to turn on. My heart… would not stop beating. _

_What rules could they possibly be?_

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN **_

_+ Map_

_- Rules [OPEN]_

_[1] All students will live a communal lifestyle within the tower with the provision of all basic living needs. Students are free to explore the tower._

_[2] "Day time" begins from 7am and ends at 10pm the following day. "Night Time" is from 10pm to 7am the following morning. During "Night Time" certain rooms and lighting will be shut off._

_[3] Sleeping is only allowed in the dormitory rooms. Sleeping elsewhere will result in punishment._

_[4] Abuse to surveillance cameras, monitors and other equipment that may be noted in due course is strictly prohibited._

_[5] Violence against the headmaster is not allowed, any attempts made will be STRICTLY punished._

_[12] Additional rules will be added at any other time._

_+ Report Card_

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE**_

"T-tower! Is that what you alley cats mistake for grand hotels?" Hirosuke asked.

"How degrading…" The cat wistfully sighed. "Just when you kids honour me with such titles you refer me to as some street cat!" He frowned. "If your gadgety things say this is a tower… then it's a tower!"

"It does explain why we are so high up," Kairu concurred.

"I'd like to know the name of this tower for future journal purposes, please if you can!" Yuko eagerly asked.

_Is he finding some enjoyment in this?_

"The name you ask… well that would beeee…dum-dud-dum-dud-dum-dum… Spine Tower!" Akaneko slowly replied jumping in pride.

"Spine… Tower?" I echoed in confusion.

"But what _kind _of name _is_ Spine Tower?" Junsi sarcastically asked.

"I must agree with this penniless thought of a name. Could you have not gone with something with more character? How about…the 'Black Olympus Star'? Or, or, or 'Satan's Obelisk!?'" Yuko suggested excitedly.

"Or how about name it something which _is actually_ tall. Like 'Giraffe Tower'? Rina put forward discarding Yuko's thoroughly thought out ideas.

"Giraffe Tower!?" Yuko questioned in disgust.

"I think the most suitable name for this tower-" Shogo began.

We all face palmed our faces, nervously waiting for Shogo's chosen name.

"The… 'Erect Tower'!" Shogo announced in pride.

"Trust a sleaze bag like you to come up with something like that," Kairu spat shaking her head.

"No, no, no, no, no! Utter nonsense. Hear my reasoning for the impressive name of 'Spine Tower'!" Akaneko whined.

"Fiend! Are you certain to reveal such a name at such an early part of the mission!? Should you not perhaps wait for the climax of the story?" Bullet suggested confidently.

"But we _need_ answers! Stop suggesting crap!" Junsi chastised.

"*cough*, *cough*… may I continue?" The cat sarcastically asked clearing his throat. "This tower consists of 33 floors… aaaannnd you got it! The human spine consists of 33 bones, hence why the tower received that marvellous name!" Akaneko explained quietly clapping.

"How would a fucking, litter trashing stuffed cat know how many bones are in a human spine!" Neith barked.

"Outwitted by a domestic pet… amusing," Junsi giggled under her breath

"Nrgg…" Neith grunted.

"Are you a studious cat perhaps?" Yuko asked eagerly.

"Nah, never read a book in any of my nine lives! Kyakaka!" Akaneko snickered.

"Are you sure you're not an alley cat?" Hirosuke questioned.

"Purrrr… NO!" Akaneko snapped back.

"Well how would some dumb cat possible know? Unless…" Junsi stopped and her cheeks suddenly tuned green.

_Ewww… no way… That thing must have…_

"Kyakakaka! Superb, superb, superb… You finally have insight to why I know how many bones are in the human spine!" The cat praised clapping. "Yah! I lick every bone clean when I'm peckish to ensure every last itty bitty of chewy meat has settled in my tummy!"

_YUCK!_

"_Eeeeewwww_… that is groooosss!" Sayuri bellowed.

"Dude… That is not cat like at all!" Daisuke cringed hiding his mouth under his t-shirt.

"The food chain is in such a tangle these days, you must not take it personal," the cat explained.

"Please everybody; we are getting easily distracted from the principles to why we reside at a tower so far up to the sky," Sophia sharply inputted.

"Every bit of detail this alley cat spits out is causing more confusion," Hirosuke added.

"Fucking give us the answers pussy!" Neith demanded thrusting his foot forward.

"Are you not students? Isn't it your job to do the answering? Purrr," Akaneko questioned.

"He does have a point… he is our deputy head master," Rina somewhat agreed.

"HE'S A FUCKING STUFFED TOY!" Neith yelled in frustration.

"Listen, we're not getting anywhere…" Kairu said shaking her head. "Anyway, here is something else that concerns me in regards to the rules," Kairu exclaimed changing the subject. "Look everyone, and you should notice something missing."

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN **_

_That's right; rules [6] – [11] are missing…_

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE**_

"I've been strictly ordered by the headmaster to allow him to reveal the hidden rules." Akaneko explained.

"I'm curious to see who this headmaster is? Does he look… zombie like… like yourself?" Gina asked with curiosity.

"I'm hoping for something with more class," Junsi remarked washing the cat with a dirty look.

"C'mon! Just spit out the rules so they're out the way!" Sayuri moaned.

_And then… a familiar voice emerged…_

Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson [Dangan Ronpa OST 2]

"KILL! KILL! KILL!" A voice emerged.

"Eeek! What was that!" Alice screeched.

Suddenly another child-like toy appeared from out of nowhere and stood before its companion.

_Another one… what is going on here…_

"I've been waiting for that to burst out my mouth like seeds from a huge watermelon, upuhuhuhu," The bear laughed.

"Kyakakaka! Please welcome you're headmaster MONOKUMA!" Akaneko announced.

* * *

><p><strong>Monokuma 2'1"<strong> **[ Headmaster ]**

_Just like the cat, this bear was half white… but half black. It had a sharply shaped left red eye and half its face one would argue is cute, while the other side of the mouth flashed a sinister grin._

* * *

><p><em>His voice was so similar to the one that spoke to use through the monitor a while ago. Could he have been the one that has brought us up here?<em>

"This is beginning to feel like some… psychotic child's circus," Shogo described.

"You'd know all about them, wouldn't you?" Junsi quietly affronted.

"Umm… Let's not provoke the toys too much… they might not be all that bad," Alice reasoned.

_Is she sure about that?_

"Kin I knock sum sense in to ya'… They're controlled by sum fella." Fukumoto criticised Alice.

Yuko's eyes widened full of enthusiasm and his mouth vibrated, "M-magnificent! How could simple teddy bears move with such fluidity? Wh-where were you manufactured… wh-who created such masterpieces?"

"Duuuuude! Ya right! What kind of ultimate joystick can control these machines!" Daisuke shouted eagerly.

"Manufactured?" Monokuma pondered.

"Our villain is hiding behind some mystery identity, interesting!" Bullet said examining the bear. "Just tell us the man that is controlling you toys… I mean you're sidekick has revealed the secret name to your hidden base."

"Hmm? Hidden bas? What's this I hear about the towers name, Akaneko? Name choices are decided by me, and me only…you futile feline!" Monokuma growled in rage at his sidekick.

"Please sir, please sir! Hear me out!" Akaneko pleaded shakings his arms rapidly as the bear domineered over him.

"There is no need! Upuhuhuhu…" The bear backed down calmly. "Watching these kids panic in the face of despair made me feel all warm and fuzzy! AHAHAHAHAHA!" The bear laughed manically.

"Okay… I get we're not at some party now… just tell us the remaining rules…" Rina declared.

_*sigh*, she's finally realized._

"You kids, so disobedient and not paying attention to your headmaster… I've already told you… buuuuut if you are deafened by the truth, feast your eyes on the most exciting rules eeeevveeer on your e-handbooks!" Monokuma said melodically.

Once again, we swiped out the gadgets, but this time I felt uneasy about it…

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN **_

_+ Map_

_- Rules [OPEN]_

_[6] In order for a student to leave the island they must 'kill' a fellow student._

_[7] I__n the event of a murder in the student group, a school trial shall commence. Participation in the school trial will be mandatory_

_[8] __During the school trial, students will attempt to identify the culprit. If the culprit is successfully identified, they alone shall be executed for their crime._

_[9] __Failure to identify the culprit is a violation of the school rules. In this event, all students except the culprit shall be executed. The culprit will then succeed and be free to leave the island._

_[10] After three people or more first discover a dead body, a "body discovery announcement" shall be broadcast across the island. This excluded the killer._

_[11] Any student that aids the killer in the murder of a fellow student will not gain any special privileges. They will not be granted immunity if the killer remains unidentified. _

_+ Report Card_

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE**_

_..._

_..._

_What bullshit am I reading…_

Soundtrack: Weekly Despair Magazine [Dangan Ronpa OST 2]

_I felt the atmosphere grow cold and it our heads became heavy with more confusion_

_To kill? Surely this is beyond a joke now._

The words were black and bold and already left an imprint on my brain, _but I couldn't believe them._

"What do you mean… by kill?" I asked reluctantly.

"That question gets me going all the time! Upuhuhuhu!" The bear laughed excitedly. "There is a wide range of methods that include, choking, stabbing, strangling, suffocating, drowning… or you could go for some unusual methods such as eating your victim, tearing them limb from limb, wedging them in the elevator doors, mincing them through the barbed wires!"

"HA HA! You are kidding aren't you!" Hirosuke laughed off in denial.

"I-I… h-have n-n-never even k-killed a fly b-before…" Juighe stuttered prodding his fingers.

"Wait... Kill each other? Is this some sort of joke...?" Sayuri asked.

"Of… course he is, he wouldn't possibly mean that," Alice nervously opposed.

"I see, I see. You can't take me seriously…Is my face too cute, too friendly? Hmmm?" The bear questioned. "If you wish to leave this tower you must kill a fellow student and successfully pass the trial unidentified!" Monokuma stated clear and precise. "Understood!?"

"You mut be as madder than a bobcat caught in a piss fire!" Fukumoto criticised. She frustratingly slapped her e-handbook shut and threw it to the ground. "Ain't no god damn way I'll follow 'em rules!"

"What is this about a bobcat, must I remind you I am a bear, a plain and simple bear!" The bear raged. "Hmm? Would you like to see what happens to disobedient students perhaps?" The bear questioned, smiling behind a raised paw.

"I sure hell do ya mad cuckoo!" Fukumoto tempted him.

_No! She's pushing all the wrong buttons!_

"I'm a BEAR!" He growled

Soundtrack: Paused

_*chhrrrrrnnn*_

Suddenly engines packed with red missiles rotated to form a shooting position, they all churned and then…

_*__bratatat__atatatatatata*_

"YOWZA!" Akaneko screamed.

Soundtrack: Extra Lessons for the Mysteries [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Before I could even blink, bullets impaled the cat from left, right and centre.

I was left, shaking like a brittle leaf as bullets, in their thousands, rolled across the rooftop.

_This situation is getting a whole lot more serious…_

"Oh no! He's hurt!" Alice screamed.

"Purrrrr… why s-sir, must I be an example of w-what happens to such delinquency?" The cat hissed.

"Gosh dangit!" Fukumoto hesitantly picked up her e-handbook from the floor.

_None of us knew what to say… I think simply following instructions was what to be expected after what we just witnessed._

"Is it possible you can elaborate on this… 'class trial'?" Sophia asked.

"Well that's the icing of the cake!" Monokuma gleamed. "After every murder, all surviving students will take part in the class trial and discuss the murder in an attempt to identify the killer. If you kids get it right only the blackened will be punished. If you kids get the wrroooong answer than everyone beside the blackened will be punished!"

"P.S folks… 'Blackened' equals the accused." Akaneko whispered.

"How would be punished?" Hirosuke asked.

"Sir! Sir! Will you allow me to do the honours?!" Akaneko begged jogging his legs.

"BAM!" Monokuma growled, delivering a punch to Akaneko.

"YEOW!" The cat screeched.

"Why you must jump in on my lines you feline! You had plenty of time to rehearse." Monokuma scolded.

"Enough of this… puppet madness! What the fuck is our punishment!" Neith snapped.

Soundtrack: Paused

"Upuhuhuhu… well of course that would be… … EXECUTION!"

Soundtrack: A Dead End to the Ocean's Aroma [Dangan Ronpa OST 2]

_Ex-execution!?_

"Y-y-you can't b-be s-serious!" Juighe screamed.

"What… hung… like what they did to the witches years ago?" Rina queried.

"I've already prepared a unique execution for each and every one of you! A headmaster MUST be organized!" Monokuma explained, his eyes and smile showed he was eager to see our reaction.

"That's psychotic!" Junsi yelled.

…

We were all speechless…

"Hmmmm? Why the sad faces? I organized a hearty venue, scrumptious snacks and even supplied you with some Indulgent Despair," the bear sighed in disappointment.

"Liar! We had no food. I had to sleep to relieve my hunger! Now you are holding us hostage and ordering us to do something we're only allowed to do in video games!" Daisuke argued.

"_Indulgent Despair!"_

_The name the bear spat out brought back the beginning events of when we were brought here._

"You drugged us with that toxic drink! We didn't come here voluntary at all!" I yelled recalling the bitter liquor that fizzled on my tongue.

"Ya kids sure weren't forced to drink though… you resisted to the dark temptation! Kyakakaka!" Akaneko snickered.

_Ugh… as much as I hated to admit it… the stuffed animal was right… _

"Kids, so fussy on what they eat and drink these days," the stuffed animal patronized. "You need your taste buds checked. Indulgent Despair is simply the most appetizing beverage you could taste!"

"Can I tell 'em, can I tell 'em, the ingredients that went in!?" Akaneko made a quick recovery and impatiently danced on the spot. "YA!" Akenko cheered without granted permission from his master. "Sooo… We have fish eyes, frog tongue, cheese fruit, beetle juice, tarmac…"

_It went on and on and on… _

"…dragon droppings, PVA glue, fingernail clippings…!"

…_and on… until…_

"…finally, the most important ingredient of them all…is the memory loss potion! To clarify that is-"

Before the stuffed cat could finish its bear companion drilled its fist into the cat's cheek.

"OWOWZAA!" Akaneko cried.

"Akaneko, Akaneko, Akaneko," the bear pitied blowing his round shaped paws, "why must you be a party crasher and spoil the most super-duperest surprise EVER. Hmm?!"

_Memory loss potion?_

"I'd like to hear what else the robotic cat has to say in regards to the memory loss potion!" Yuko objected.

"The fiend is simply littering out meaningless babble, did you take into account the other ingredients? Slightly far-fetched, wouldn't you agree?" Sophia shook her head.

"I am more interested in where that thing found dragon droppings from," Rina said intrigued. She scratched her head in confusion, "I thought dragons don't exist?"

"Girl! You got bout as mut sense as god gev' a goose!" Fukumoto piped.

"Give your fellow student a break… I mean, it isn't her fault she is the brainbox of the group." Monokuma said hiding a smile behind his claw.

"Brainbox? I failed in middle school and even I know dragons don't exist… unless they're in video games of course! _*yawn_*" Daisuke declared tiredly.

"Upuhuhuhu… I am so glad you kids are coming back to school. You have soooo much to learn!" The bear giggled pitying us. The bear excitedly turned around, facing the outskirts of the rooftop and then suddenly…

Soundtrack: Paused

_*rumbmbmbmbmbmbmmbmbmbmbmmbm*_

_Why the hell are we shaking!?_

"It's coming! It's coming! It's coming! It's coming! Kyakakakaka!" Akaneko danced manically in excitement.

"What's coming? What's coming?" Yuko asked the cat in panic, firmly pressing his ears as the noise and vibrations got louder.

But before any answers were given…

_*scoorchh* _

Suddenly, I heard the sound which was like the air was being torn apart violently. It got louder…louder and louder. The vibrating of both the building and heart threw me into panic…

…

_*SCOOOORRRRRRCHH* _

Soundtrack: Buzzkill [Dangan Ronpa OST]

_WHAAAAAAAAAAA?!_

Then before my frozen eyes, a beast awakened to the foggy sky like phoenix, unleashing mechanical wings. They sprouted out sparks of fire and they continued flapping resembling the sound of rapid wind turbines. It glowed immensely and it rested red diamond eyes on us as if we were some late night supper.

_This isn't real! This isn't real! _

Goosebumps grew across my body while my brain continued to mental process something so… _unsightly…_

"EEEEK! QUEL EST CE MONSTRE!" Alice screeched in her native tongue, pulling at her long ponytails.

"NEYAAAA! What IS that thing?" Kauri screamed.

"W'll I be John Brown!" Fukumoto gulped catching her Stetson from nearly falling off.

"Gosh! They _do_ exist!" Sayuri yelled flabbergasted.

"Someone, anyone- pass me a camera!"!" Yuko gasped, his eyes absorbed by the horrific beast.

"I introduce the father bird! The grand ruler of every roost! The divine diver of the despair! Pleeeeeease put your paws together for the most-ultimately-king-of-all-skies… Monobird!

"I-Is i-iii-it real?" Juighe quavered.

"Each one of its thousands feathers is real, yes! Mmmmm!" Akeneko purred licking its lips.

"F-feathers? It's a goddam machine! And hey! I thought you said it was a dragon!" Daisuke complained.

"Upuhuhuhu…Ooopsy, was I wrong?" Monokuma snickered. "If you guys had a birds-eye view of this, you would most definitely see that you are lives have been sealed with the letter 'D' from 'Despair', upuhuhu"

_**(A/N: The shape of the tower resembles the letter 'D')**_

"Why is such a thing necessary since it's impossible for us to escape?" Sophia underlined.

"I've showered you all with enough gifts already, why must be so greedy and believe this is for you too?" Monokuma teased.

"Then… who is it for?" I asked crossed with confusion.

"Monobird will protect its territory at all costs, and therefore any outside forces will be immediately consumed or cremated with just one spit of a fireball," Monokuma explained.

_That means, helicopters, planes- well everything… Nothing can save us from that machine…or even this new life we've been sucked into._

Soundtrack: (Fading)

"You kids clear about this little tutorial?" The bear questioned.

But… we were ALL silent…

"Uphuhuhu… Well then… haaaaappppyy kiiillliiiiiiing!"

With a succeeding smile both Monokuma and Akaneko left. The machine, Monobird, scaled its way down the tower…

Soundtrack: Paused

_What just happened?_

Everyone had raw expressions of anxiety, anger and confusion. We were silenced by the shock horror of what we both heard and had seen.

_Is this is our new reality? _

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Somebody slap me silly… I am dreaming right… we're all floating in ooone big dreaam bubble… heehe…" Sayuri nervously giggled, but her face was tinted blue with distraught by our expressionless face.

"There is that possibility we could be… drunk?" Rina suggested calmly.

_She seems to be coping a lot better than some us…_

"I hate to disagree… but we are not drunk…" Alice hesitantly answered.

"How could all of this happen in just one single day? It's absurd…" Junsi exclaimed.

"Maybe it didn't…" Hirosuke asserted.

"Wait… what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Recall that bizarre list of ingredients?" Hirosuke stated.

_He's right… all those made-up things were nonsense… but… the memory loss potion._

"You really believe losing our memories is a possibility?" I enquired.

"All that crap that pussy spat out was utter bull-shit, we're all stupid to believe that he put some fantasy-like potion in it," Neith confidently brushed off in denial.

"Widen your horizons… the memory loss potion could have been a drug of some sort or maybe we could have been in a coma for some time… that would explain why we were all asleep right?" Sophia suggested.

_Fuck she's right… all these possibilities, they're just painting this picture more… 'real'._

"I agree… the way the zombie bear became defensive as soon as its slave revealed the 'memory loss potion' sure is fishy," Gina added.

"But surely the people behind those two robots are from some huge organization… right?" Kairu proposed.

"When you consider that big flying bird and our location it is very possible, yes," Hirosuke said.

Fired with so many questions surrounding this mystery, we were all sent into a self-absorbed state thinking of all the possibilities.

"Okay gang, we'll regroup tomorrow and solve these mysteries then! We'll unmask these imposters in no time!" Bullet informed.

_Gang… mysteries… unmask… is he in Scooby Doo land now?_

"How about we meet in the canteen tomorrow at 8am… On the way up to the rooftop I noticed that floor button was highlighted." Hirosuke advised.

"Wait!" Sophia said abrupt. "Are we all blinded by the bigger picture… or just completely oblivious?"

"Duuuuude- eh… duuudette…" Daisuke corrected himself "What can possibly be bigger than what we've just seen?"

Soundtrack: Paused

"Our own intentions after discovering we must kill in order to leave Spine Tower." Sophia's weighty words came on us like a bomb.

The cutthroat truth immediately sliced the beginning of some form of unity.

_There is no way we would kill… But like we've discussed… our families are out there waiting for us while we've been trapped. Our memories could have vanished? _

Soundtrack: Oberon [Sword Art Online OST 2] (fades out)

"I thoroughly believe that none of us are capable of such actions," Alice stated confidently.

"Noooooo waaaaaaaay! Nobody here would do a mindless, silly, dopey think like that!" Sayuri asserted loudly.

"I mut say, the lady mite be rite!" Fukumoto said agreeing with Sophia.

"I would most certainly hate to be right, but under these circumstances… we'd be stupid to trust anyone!" Sophia coldly finished.

_To trust anyone…_

_My words… they j-just wouldn't come out… _

_She is right! I've just met fifteen other students unaware of their capabilities._

Silenced by the bombshell we all exchanged weary glances of one another. My body felt lifeless as the heavy and daunting atmosphere crashed on me.

_What are they all thinking… I-I have n-never been so paranoid… ugh…_

Shaking uncontrollably… I closed my eyes, clutched my heart and prayed silently…

Soundtrack: Paused

_Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up…_

**A/N: Again, any problems with how I portray your characters then PM me… It can be quite difficult juggling sixteen personalities, haha.**


	6. Chapter 1: Tower Expedition

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks again for all the reviews, I do read them and have chuckled at a few! I mentioned I will send you a PM in my last chapter; however I haven't really had the time, since I've been working hard on this current chapter. **

**I won't be updating for possibly another week, due to me planning the FIRST MURDER! Muwahahaha, I feel SO like Monokuma, ha! But the first murder won't take place until after another two chapters.**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Chapter 1: Tower Expedition **

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 1 NIGHT<strong>

- FLOOR 32 -

DORMS

* * *

><p>KEN'S ROOM<p>

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Welcome to Despair Academy [Dangan Ronpa OST]<span>

_All of us in the same boat, same situation… you'd think we could relate to each other but the truth was… these people were just strangers. It a weird kind of way I felt like I was beginning to make friends… but now I will never know if these friendships are genuine or false._

Our heads had too much to process… _I mean, we're trapped in this unknown hotel…ugh… I mean tower, with the possibility of our memories stolen from… But that's not the worst… we've then been strictly ordered by stuffed toy criminals to kill another student if we want to escape…_

Having our heads filled with bullshit_- I hope-_ was possibly the reason why we all fled from the rooftops into our own bedrooms. _It was late as well, but I wasn't tired at all.._. Barely a word has been said since the bear and the cat vanished… but the sickening feeling of the bear watching us was persistent…

Soundtrack: Paused

_*ding dong ding dong* _

_Eugh… what was that…_

I looked up to see Monokuma's sinister smile splashed on the screen.

_That fucker is enjoying every single moment of this… but why is he on that tacky yellow monitor?_

"This is an announcement from your headmaster, Monokuma!" He announced happily.

_Bastard… I can imagine him filling his face with popcorn while watching us suffer in this despair._

"It is now 10pm. Please tuck your selves into bed and count the sheep jumping over the fence in the beaauuutiful night sky. Night night." His voice sounded soothing, but it was an earache to me.

_I'm not some baby…_

_However, I suppose after today I could do with going to sleep. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up hung over at home… and then I'll be doing more gigs, flirting with my hot fan girls and I'll be living the life of sex, drugs and rock n roll._

Just thinking about this 'old reality' made me teary.

_Either way, this is reality now… it will be until we find a way to escape._

I buried my face into the pillow, squeezing my aching eyes shut and tried SO hard to block out what happened today… and then…

…eventually… slowly…

"Zzzz…zzz…z.."

…

…

…

…

_*knock knock*_

"Ugh…" I awoke what felt like a long sleep, but it must have only been a couple of minutes.

_What was that? _

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome [Dangan Ronpa OST]

It was a heavy knock on my door…

_Never in my life have I been afraid of answering the door, but today I wasn't sure if someone had already thought of bumping off another student… and there could be a possibility that someone is waiting out there with the intention of murder._

Hesitantly I approached the door, my shaking hand slowly reaching the door handle and with a heavy gulp…

_*click*_

…

_It was her… what she doing out at this time…?_

Soundtrack: Beautiful Ruin [Dangan Ronpa OST 2]

"Ken, I apologize if I've disturbed you from sleep or whatever… and I know in our circumstances right now we're are paranoid about each other… but I can't access my room and need somebody's dorm to sleep in." She hesitantly asked.

"H-hey… w-well… well,"

_She could easily suffocate me in my sleep, hammer my head in and not a single student would know she slept in my room… But why, what's wrong with her room?_

"What's stopping you from using your own room?" I asked curiously.

She revealed her finger, which was notably bleeding from when she cut it on the fence earlier.

"Those door lock sensors are so damn sensitive. They're useless. It flashes red, denying me into my own room, it probably wouldn't help with a plaster either… but I can't even find any of those lying around in this s-stupid hotel- I mean tower…" She stressed in frustration.

"Kairu, calm down," I reassured her placing my hands on her shoulders from comfort. "Come in, stay in her until your finger gets better."

She beamed a smile, "man you're awesome!" She said relieved. She grabbed one of the spare guitar blankets from the top of chest and lay down on the floor. "I promise I won't kill you," she chuckled.

"W-wait, take the bed… I can't let a girl sleep rough like that." I insisted.

"Man, don't sugar-coat me like some princess, I'm used to taking the floor," she insisted, she pulled over the blanket and looked at me, deeply. "Are you scared?"

"Ha, n-no," I lied, "I mean who in the right mind would kill another person?" I asked.

"We don't know anybody yet. We're all just completely strangers who've only got to know each other in unnatural circumstances. I mean… anyone of us could be hiding something or acting fake as part of their plan for… m-murder," the finished word struggling to release from her mouth… but it made us both shudder.

"As long as we keep ourselves distracted… we'll be fine." I wanted that to come out confidently, but I wasn't sure myself. Either way I smiled at her.

Kairu smiled back; we exchanged small talk briefly before we both were completely wiped out from the lifetime of events that were packed into just a few hours.

Soundtrack: Paused

Light were off and then we both rested in slumber sleep…

_I hope she doesn't kill me!_

* * *

><p><strong>DAY 2<strong>

* * *

><p><em>As expected…<em>

…the following morning I woke up distraught. I was reeled in by the truth of what happened last night. With less than an ounce of hope, I got out of my bed feeling like some play figure in a madman's doll house.

_And guess what! I'm alive! Kairu didn't kill me, not that I thought she had it in her… but ya know…_

_Shit! I've just got out the bed in nothing but my underwear!_

I scanned the room hoping to _not _see Kairu. It was my lucky day because she wasn't in here, or the bathroom

_Phew! But where was she?_

After getting dressed I approached the door to find a note on my side table…

_Hmmm… what's this?_

_..._

_Dear Ken,_

_Cheers for letting me to use your room last night as a bedsit, you were cool. I was lucky that you heard me knocking!_

_Anyway, I didn't sleep well last night and therefore I am using the early hours of the morning to grab a few bits from the kitchen and do a bit of exploring._

_You remember your agreement to Hirosuke's idea of meeting at the canteen? Make sure you are there by 8am sharp, I'll meet you there._

_Kairu_

_x _

_Well… she's eager!_

_..._

_Okay, better go to canteen for some breakfast… I wonder how everyone is feeling today._

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 31 -<p>

CANTEEN; KITCHEN; LAUNDRY

* * *

><p>CANTEEN<p>

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Beautiful Morning [Dangan Ronpa OST]<span>

I was lured into the canteen by the homely smell of warm walnut muffins, salty bacon and fresh lemon.

_It was like walking into my home kitchen, yet it wasn't._

_Imagine walking into something comforting but realizing at the back of your mind the full picture is nothing but despair._

At the entrance, the fifteen other students, just as eager as I was, salivated like dogs at the sight of fluffy pancakes, greasy bacon and a radiant bowl of colourful fruit.

"Bonjour a tous!" Alice greeted flashing a wide smile.

_Wait, why is she so happy?_

"Good morning," we all choired dully.

"I have teamed up with baker woman and established a recipe for success to help us win our fight against the Manic Monokuma and his sidekick Bagpuss!" Bullet explained standing on the table, raising his fist up to the air as if he had won a trophy.

_Is this guy still going on? Before I had chance to bring him back to the reality of the situation…_

"That's some granny slappin' good ol' grub!" Fukumoto piped indulging the pancakes.

"The melt-in-your-mouth bacon, the heavenly light muffins and the toasty baked bread is remarkable!" Yuko passionately exclaimed, playing with the food in his mouth. "I shall write an article about this and make you known to the world!"

"I am agreeable with you all. You baking skills have truly been taken into appreciation," complimented Sophia.

"If you are as good as sex as you are at baking then pay me a visit later," Shogo commented.

"Hasn't our little baker done the team proud?" Hirosuke bellowed, squeezing Alice tight in a one armed hug.

_They were all enjoying it as if we were on some sort of vacation or holiday… _

_The power of food eh? It can turn the unhappiest of people happy._

_Why do I feel like the downer in the group?_

_This isn't me at all… I'm fun, I'm confident and I'm normally the centre spotlight!_

Overcome with envy I decided…"Make sure you leave some for me!" I banished my dark thoughts and took a leaf out of everyone else's book and grabbed a plateful of pancakes, sausages and scrambled egg.

_I wasn't sure why we were all hungry, when you're down it is usually the opposite right… Or maybe we are slowly denying the situation as a sign of weakness… or maybe it is a sign of strength that were are ignoring the truth…_

After successfully clearing the table from food…

"Do we all now have the energy to bring down this menace!?" Bullet dictated.

"Yes sir!" Rina saluted.

…_or we could be completely mad and go on a suicide mission!_

"Now let's march to his villain's rooftop and use every last bit of our power to claim justice!" He continued. He marched to the elevator. "Are we all brimming with hope!?" He asked like an army commander.

"I'm certainly a lot more confident having devoured some delicious food!" Hirosuke yelled confidently landing a punch into the palm of his hand.

"Let's goooooooooooooooooooooo!" Sayuri loudly cheered.

_Are these guys mad!_

Jam packed with optimism some of the students followed Bullet in his footsteps, but his heroic path to victory was interrupted.

Soundtrack: Ms. Monomi's Practice Lesson [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Akaneko pleaded as he suddenly emerged.

"Guys! Now's our chance! Grab him!" Rina ordered only after a second's glimpse of the cat.

Following loud instructions some of the students gathered around the outnumbered cat pulling his limbs tightly.

"Not the ears! You kiddies have some SERIOUS explaining too! OWOWZA! That hurts! My tail! My tail!" The cat screamed in agony.

"Okay… what do we do with it now?" Kairu asked.

"W-w-well, th-the obvious choice w-would b-be out the w-window… right?" Juighe nervously suggested.

"KYAKAKAKAKA! You scabby lot really do need to be schooled a little more, puurrrr," the cat cackled.

"You should keep that yap shut cat dude," Daisuke suggested enjoying abusing the cat. "However, s'pose he's got a point, every single window is shut."

"Hehehe… We could incinerate him in the oven," Gina quietly suggested. Her words were so quiet, yet daunting for Akaneko.

"N-nothing! You will do nothing of the sort! YEOW!" The cat screeched and desperately attempted to loosen from our grips. But we would NOT let go.

Soundtrack: Paused

"MAAAAAASSSSSSTTTEEEEEEEEEEEERR!" The cat screamed.

Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"Hmm? What's this nonsense? You kids violating against my apprentice?" The bear questioned. I wasn't sure if he was amused or angered by our actions. However as soon as he appeared we acted like caught out school kids.

"Where the fuck did you come from!" Neith barked.

"I'm everywhere and everyplace in this tower!" Monokuma said.

"Gosh, this bear is much scarier than the cat!" Rina exclaimed.

"OF COURSE I AM! I am the headmaster after all!" He growled, but blushed by his own compliment. "You bastards are a bunch of rule breakers! Must I remind you the rule regarding violence-"

"I must interrupt you there," Sophia said abruptly. She opened her e-handbook and read out the rule Monokuma was relating to. "The rule states we must not violate against the headmaster it says nothing concerning your apprentice, the deputy headmaster, so to speak."

"S-sir, you did that on purpose!" The cat whined.

"Oh, it appears I did miss out one tiny unimportant detail, upuhuhu," the bear laughed. "But to keep you kids in order and behaving according to the school handbook, I'll tamper with the rules a little bit!"

"Thank you sir!" Akaneko bowed down in appreciation.

"I didn't do it for you. You are simply my apprentice… a tool for when I need you and when I want to dispose of you! Now scram and unlock the floors so the students can explore the tower!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" Akaneko saluted.

"Happy Easter egg hunting," Monokuma said before vanishing along with Akaneko.

Soundtrack: Beautiful Morning [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"New areas to explore… this certifies that we can now access more floors I assume," Yuko analysed.

"Indeed civilian! I worry why such villains are providing us with opportunities to escape though," Bullet added.

"I agree. But, hopeful we'll find a clue or something which might help us understand why we are here," Hirosuke stated buoyant.

"Or… maybe, we could stumble across some sort of escape route," Gina voiced softly.

"We can't rule out the possibility that there may be others in this tower as well," Kairu informed us.

"Well I ain't wastin' any o' my sweet time tinkin', let's get our ass's movin'!" Fukumoto bellowed.

"Waaaaiiiit! Before we all go skippin' outta here, shall we agree to meet back at the canteen to report out findings?" Sayuri suggested.

We all fell into an agreement and then made our separate ways through the tower.

_Now…where shall I go first?_

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 29 –<p>

SUPERMARKET; GIFT SHOP

* * *

><p>SUPERMARKET<p>

* * *

><p><em>*ping*<em>

I stepped outside the elevator into a huge store buried with all sorts of goods. From basic food to luxuries such as rocky road cakes and octopus tentacles; an aisle of clothing stretched forever with one side of plain clothes and the other had cowboy costumes, Halloween outfits and more. It had nearly everything.

"Can't swing a dead cat wi'out hittin' the Wal-Mart," Fukumoto piped chewing some candy bar.

"Wait! Shouldn't you pay for that?!" I gasped.

"Gosh dangit! Are ya as dumb as a cabbage?" She criticised.

_It appears so… I forgot for one second we were held hostage here…_

"On the brighter side of the situation… at least we have food and other essentials provided here."

"Yup, this has made me as happy as a punk in a pickle patch!"

_Wow, it doesn't take much to please her… But we do have EVERYTHING here…_

"You ain't got mut to say there, you ain't taken' this nonsense to serious ar' ya?" She asked.

_I assume she's on about our new reality in which we must kill to escape?_

"Well we're all lucky that we've bonded, so I am feeling a bit better than yesterday," I replied.

"Damn rite you should! Now lift that chin up and put yo ass into gear and find some clues!" She ordered.

_She has such a domineering voice, wasn't sure that's because of her accent though…_

_Either way, it's clearly put into perspective that I'm not as confident as I thought._

Having a further look around I came across Sayuri.

"Heeeeeeeeeey theeeeeeeeeree!" Sayuri yelled approaching me like an ecstatic kitten.

_She's always full of energy… _

"So, have you found any… clues?" I asked, completely realising that I was blushing.

"Yep- but why have you gone so… red, you catching a fever?" She asked, completely unaware I fancied her.

"N-no, I m-mean yeah, or it could just be the heat of the room," I nervously answered trying to keep my cool.

"Weeelll, not to worry, this store has absoluuuteellleey everything! From food to clothes to magazines…" She continued to state EVERYTHING that was in the store and gazing around I noticed a massive freezer filled with ice cubes, a gallon tank of oil and various other things that could be useful during a stay… _which I like to believe isn't permanent._

"What about clues or any people?" I eagerly asked.

"Noooope, it appears we are completely on our lonesomes…" Her tone weakened as she lowered her energetic arms.

_And she still is carrying those pom-poms._

After _um… managing _to cool down after crushing on the cheerleader I approached a more retro styled room with hefty sign hanging from the ceiling with the name 'Gift Shop', Monokuma's cut-otu face was unpleasantly grinning at the end of the sign.

* * *

><p>GIFT SHOP<p>

* * *

><p>It was smaller room cornered off from the main supermarket enriched with all sorts of toys, jewellery, perfumes, souvenir like objects and many more. However they were all locked up in a huge glass tank.<p>

"Yo, dude!" Daisuke called. He walked towards me in a slouched and relaxed posture. "*yawn* don't you just dig that big Pac-man toy!" Daisuke pointed to what looked like Pac-mans head buried beneath the toy Pokémon dolls.

"Aren't you a bit too old for cuddly toys like that?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. "The sight of them makes me want to puke considering stuffed toys are now instructing us to kill each other!"

"Dude, seriously… way to go kill a joyful moment," Daisuke shrugged his shoulders, shook his head and let out a HUGE yawn. "Anyways, I'm not buying Pac-man to cuddle up to at night; he's going to be my new pillow."

_Of course… I should have guessed._

"Ere… I've got a dime if you want a go." He handed me a coin with Monokuma's face engraved into it.

"Wait… Where did you find this? Isn't it dangerous to use anything associated with that psycho?" I asked flushed with panic.

"Duuuude, slow down… chill. The bear told me that we could use these coins to purchase special goods from the gift shop," he informed me.

I hesitantly slotted the coin in. Daisuke yawned and soon dragged his feet to, _bed probably._

_*cltkty*_

After the coin dropped, I reached under the flap to retrieve my prize which was… _a useless whoopee cushion_.

_What am I going to do with that?_

After briefly exploring the supermarket floor, I ventured out…

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 28 –<p>

LECTURER THEATER

* * *

><p>I reminisced my childhood and middle school and high-school as I stepped into a lecture hall filled with rows of seats; a projector, a whiteboard and at the back of the room, behind the seats, was a small space of computers.<p>

_Maybe we can contact the outside world!_

"No use trying to access these computers, they're dead," Hirosuke voiced my thoughts, loud and clear as usual.

_Damn!_

"I've attempted to locate a charger, spare battery or use something to charge the hardware up, but no use… Our connection with the outside world is completely lost," Yuko frowned, looking at the ground, while he sat at the computer desk.

"NAH! With courage and high spirits the impossible can become possible! We've only just begun, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark it is." Hirosuke stated with optimism patting Yuko on the back.

_Normally I'd brush things off like that… but I can imagine Hirosuke being a man who keeps his promise. Let's hope I am right._

"All we need is a couple of minutes of connectivity and I could publish an SOS on one of my popular websites," Yuko explained, repeatedly tapping his feet in frustration. "Please, Ken, if you find anything let me know."

"Gotcha, I'll do anything to help us all get out of here." I passionately said.

"HA! Good man. You're a man of high spirit!" He praised me finished by his booming laugh.

Before exiting the lecture theatre I came across Kairu who was engrossed in a book.

_Is now the time to be reading? Or has she found something useful?_

"You're a little bookworm there aren't ya," I chuckled.

"T-this isn't an ordinary book," she stated, appearing confused by whatever was in there. "Look here." I looked over her shoulder and what I thought may be boring words on a page was in actual fact a diagram.

"Wait, doesn't it look like the tower?" I asked needlessly.

_It was definitely the tower… _

It was a diagram resembling some construction plan, and you could clearly see that it had 33 floors.

"However, something confuses me… I mean although this picture clear depicts that the tower has 33 floors, the construction plan reveals that only 28 floors were built." She indicated, tracing her finger from the bottom to the top of the tower.

I felt ashamed that I couldn't really work out what she was on about. "Sooo… what does that mean?"

"You're a typical pop slash rock start aren't you," she criticised shaking her head. "This construction plans means that these 28 floors were built on top of something else that existed beforehand."

_So what could be the building this tower was built on top off?_

"I'll report this back to the group later in the dining room," Kairu informed me. She firmly clutched the book in her arms and left.

_Well I don't want to be wasting any time…_

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 30 –<p>

BALLROOM; STAGE

* * *

><p>BALLROOM<p>

* * *

><p>I entered the room where it all started, <em>why does it feel weeks ago? It was only yesterday…<em>

Although I'm fairly familiar with this room, I never explored it thoroughly…

_Maybe I could find some clues or something that may help me answer all these questions floating around in my head. _

Unlike the mess we woke up to yesterday, the room was tidy; free from glass on the floor and the curtains had been put back up after Neith angrily tore them down. Tables covered with lattice white tablecloths, and on top was glass vases holding artificial flowers. A steel ladder rested against the wall, tied up with metal string, along with curtain rods. At the far end of the room was a grand black piano, perfectly fitting within the style of the room.

_Huh? What's this… _Lighting instructions were plated on the to this notice, the flames on the chandeliers turn off at 10pm. _I guess that would leave the room pitch black then…_

I noticed Rina was wondering around the room like a lost sheep.

"Umm… what you looking for Rina, you look a bit… lost," I observed.

"Nope, not lost, I am trying to find more of that Indulgent Despair." She openly replied.

"You can't be serious! Why do you want to drink more of that toxic!"

"Drink? Hahaha, I don't drink," she laughed throwing me into confusion. "Me and Bullet are going to take it to the laboratory, become professional scientists and identify the percentage of alcohol and other ingredients." She tried so hard to sound, _shall I say… educated._

"We have a lab in this tower?" I asked.

"Umm… no… Bullet said he'll use the kitchen, if we find some, but I think Mr. Bear has removed the last supplies," she sighed in disappointment. "Either way, I'll report what I found to Bullet!" She suddenly perked up and left the ballroom.

_She's so gullible, she's actually behaving like Bullet's sidekick now…_

_Moving forward…_

_If I remember correctly, Sayuri found the e-handbooks behind the curtain on the stage. I wonder what else is behind here._

I pulled up the large, blue curtain which was surprisingly heavy and went in.

* * *

><p>STAGE<p>

* * *

><p>The immediate thing that came to my attention was the operating rope that would most likely draw the stage curtains open. Progressing deeper into the stage I found piles of theatre props, costumes and empty boxes.<p>

Soundtrack: Paused

I began to remove box by box until…

Soundtrack: Junk Food for a Dashing Youth [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"AAAAAAAHH!" I screamed and fell backwards roughly banging my ass at the sight of Gina silently hiding behind the boxes, her crooked smile and empty grey eyes showed no sign of sympathy.

_Was she… supposed to scare me like that?_

"Hehehehehe… I didn't expect such a girlish reaction, hehehe." She creepily giggled at my suspense.

"You sure don't need a mask on Halloween do ya," I defended myself feeling humiliated.

_Wait… that might have been a little harsh…_

I rubbed my back, which was likely bruised after my fall. "What are you creeping around here for anyway?" I asked.

"I'm waiting till nightfall, it's when the real exploring should begin," she answered eerily.

_She really likes hiding in dark areas… but why wait till night time?_

"Wouldn't that be more difficult considering the lighting in the ballroom switches off at 10pm?" I asked reciting what I saw on the lighting instructions earlier.

"Nope… the paranormal comes to life at… night. Speaking to the dead will give us more precise clues instead of… hehehe… roaming around helplessly looking for more people," she hissed confidently, snidely giggling at the actions of the others.

"Well then, I'll let you get back to…" _If she's not exploring, than what is she doing… _"Um… frightening people!"

"Hehehehehe," she just giggled at me like I told a bad joke or something.

Soundtrack: Beautiful Morning [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Before emerging out the curtains back into the ballroom, I couldn't help notice some secret door in the floor.

_*rattle rattle*_

It wouldn't open… _what could be beneath there?_

_Either way, it feels I've spent a while exploring, I've checked every accessible floor now. Time to report to the group!_

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 31 -<p>

CANTEEN; KITCHEN; LAUNDRY

* * *

><p>CANTEEN<p>

* * *

><p>I entered the canteen to discover that I was one of the first to finish the investigation. The canteen looked pretty normal, red leather seating, brightened with the sunny sky… <em>I could finally see outside… but of course it was impossible to open them. <em>

Junsi sat at one of the canteen tables with her fingers crossed looking as if she was burdened by something.

"H-hey, are you okay?" I asked.

She unburied her head from beneath her hair and tied it up with the skull hairclip. "I want to apologize to you for my outburst during our introductions yesterday." She sighed an apology which didn't seem to heartfelt, _either way, I probably did come across a little full on yesterday when referring to the Takami beauty show. _

"Don't sweat it; I was in the wrong anyway, after observing Shogo's behaviour I've really had time to reflect on my own behaviour," I reasoned unintentionally blaming Shogo. "Is that what you are worrying about?"

"Of course not!" Her tone had sharpened. "I-I'm sorry, I am just finding this experience a little overwhelming, especially since everyone isn't taking it as serious as expected."

"That's a good thing right, blocking out the truth," I suggested.

"How long is that going to last? Think about your family, your band, your life of fortune and fame… and to think you don't exist anymore- banished from your old reality. Friends and family eventually moving on, while you are trapped in here with a bunch of strangers you will never really know," Junsi precisely put into perspective.

_She's right… We could be here for days, months, years…a lifetime unless the killing starts. B-but did that bear truly mean that? Was he simply just scaring us?_

…

"Psst! Ken over here," A voice whispered my name from the kitchen. _Who could it be?_

* * *

><p>KITCHEN<p>

* * *

><p>I was grateful I was interrupted from the dark cloud showering me with nothing but negativity, but not as grateful as seeing him…<p>

_What the hell is he doing casually strolling around the kitchen in his boxers!?_

Soundtrack: Junk Food for a Dashing Youth [Dangan Ronpa OST]

_Of course it was Shogo… _

I closed the kitchen doors, and enclosed myself in the room with _this… perverted being._

"Why are you nearly naked!? If one of the girls catches you they'll panfry your balls!"

_Well Fukumoto most definitely will…_

"Man, it's so hot in here. I mean… pew… is it the sexual tension between you and I?" He goaded.

"Fuck that! You know I don't swing that way… and either do you, you're just a jackass!" I shouted, but could feel the urge to just laugh.

"Either way, with all these ugly trash heaps walking about, I've got give a little something for the ladies right… riiiggght?" He persuaded me to agree by nudging me in a friendly manner. "I mean, you and I are the hottest guys here. Let's show these lasses some homoeroticism."

"Euk! Go and get Yuko, I am sure I've seen him eying you up!" I spat out the dirty image he placed in my head, and gulped a glass of water.

But then I heard footsteps…

"Shogo, hide quick!"

"There isn't a single place to hide m'dear," he responded not even attempting to locate a hiding position.

"Bonjour- Eeeeeeeeeek!" Alice screamed, dropped a box of fresh bread and blushed at the sight of Shogo. "I-I don't what to say… um…" She was speechless and looked at everything in the room to prevent making eye contact with Shogo.

"Since you successfully give constructive criticism to food, maybe you could rate the meat on my body," Shogo said abrupt, suddenly posing.

"You dick! You've traumatised the girl, let's give her the space to recover," I snapped through my teeth.

Soundtrack: Paused

I immediately dragged him out the room, however as we opened the doors back into the canteen...

* * *

><p>CANTEEN<p>

* * *

><p>They were waiting... the other thirteen students… eyes wide open… and mouths gawping…<p>

"I-Is it time to… report out findings?" I asked feeling the pressure from their torturous gazes.

They all remained silent.

…

_Well…_

_This is awkward…_

**A/N: This chapter has generally explored the tower and used the opportunity to characterize some of the characters a little more. Free time will be added in the next chapter.**

**I hope my chapters aren't too long. Let me know if you feel they are. **


	7. Chapter 1: A Bright Light of Hope

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience. I will PM you all shortly asking you for further information about your characters in regards to their reaction to the first killing and for free time events which will take place in the next chapter. Every chapter containing Free Time Events will be marked with an [F] and I'll grant free time to those who have supported me endlessly so far. **

**Hope you are all still enjoying it!**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Chapter 1: A Bright Light of Hope**

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 31 –<p>

CANTEEN; KITCHEN; LAUNDRY

* * *

><p>CANTEEN<p>

* * *

><p>In this unpredictable, awkward atmosphere, I stood evaluating the thoughts of the students as they gawped at me and Shogo.<p>

_My… reputation, my image… all ruined by him! All why he is enjoying the fact that I feel humiliated!_

Soundtrack: Junk Food for a Dashing Youth [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"This is *definitely* not what it looks like!" I swore immediately jumping to my defence.

"Ken m'dear, we can keep all this hush-hush if you don't want the skeletons to fall out the closet," he spoke loud and clear, obviously attempting to humiliate me.

"HAHAHAHA!" Hirosuke's laugh trembled throughout the canteen. "I see you took the idea of exploring wrong folks… We didn't mean to explore each other, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"N-no! He was practically naked as soon as got in there!" I stressed.

"Hmph, what a pair of fucking queers," Neith grunted.

"Only those who are in denial would blast such words," Shogo teased, still casually showcasing his body.

"WHAT DID YOU FUCKING SAY?!" Neith growled, fronting a clenched fist.

"Awwwwwww, I personally find this is SUPER cute! The two of you standing there in spotlight like that reminds me of those Yaoi manga's!" Sayuri fussed, not attempting to hide the fact she is blushing.

"If this is the moment for you to open up about your sexuality, then go right ahead!" Rina compassionately encouraged.

_I think she actually believes I *am* gay!_

"Hey pink pansy boy, com' up here for a threesome, so we can entertain these horny ladies!" Shogo addressed Yuko.

Yuko flared up like a tomato. He pretty much remained silent as he hung his head down as if he had been struck by humiliation.

"I have never been associated with such profanity in all my life," Sophia repulsed shunning her face with her backhand, "show some dignity!"

"I a-agree… shouldn't w-we be f-f-focusing on any…um… what we f-found d-during our investigation… of… um… the t-tower?" Juighe nervously suggested, prodding his fingers together.

Soundtrack: Beautiful Ruin [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"Okeydokey! I'll start by looking on the brighty side of things!" Sayuri sung, throwing her arms up. "We have a MASSIVE super-market on the 29th floor, packed with cute clothes, sugary goooods, um… ha! A gift shop full of plushy adorables!" Sayuri screamed gleefully.

"Super, genial," Alice added. "The kitchen is also stocked with fresh food and the freezer is big enough to store a week's supply, so we won't be getting hungry!" She informed us clasping her hands together in appreciation.

"Indeed this is positive considering our predicament, but has anybody found any valid clues that may help us understand a bit more about the criminal organisation and the claims they made yesterday?" Yuko asked.

"As a matter of fact, I've unearthed a clue which may seem agreeable with the cat's claim regarding our memory loss," Sophia exclaimed.

Her formative manner and the remark about the memory loss struck our attention like lightning.

"Well… what is it?" Junsi asked impatiently.

"The bio-metric sensors that grant us access into our dormitories support the theory that our memories are indeed stolen just as the criminals have previously stated." She explained.

"Simple door locks can predict that, how?" Rina queried with a slack expression.

"Of course, in order for these bio-metric sensors to unlock by scanning our index finger, surely they must have registered our fingerprints beforehand." Sophia explained.

_It's handy to have an ultimate puzzler on board; she can really fit in all the missing pieces. But it must be true… our memories have just vanished, but from when?_

"Impossible! We cannot have our memories simply lost like that. This is ludicrous!" Yuko answered; his chin tremoring.

"Calm down, it is only a possibility. We cannot draw conclusions from one tiny piece of evidence. We have to tackle this from all sides to the situation." Hirosuke reassured bearing a relaxed posture.

"Even so, we must not rule out that possibility. It's vital, right?" Junsi stated.

_I hate to be pessimistic… but the likelihood of us waking up straight after our time in the limo seems unlikely now._

"Moving forward," Kairu prompted, "I found this in the lecture theatre which may give us an insight to our location." She placed the construction plan of the tower on the canteen table.

_It was what she showed me earlier, the 28 floors of the tower built on top of a pre-existing building. But what could that be?_

She explained it briefly to the group, but all it managed to do was add further confusion to our, already, scrambled brains.

"If we could just somehow identify the original building then we may be able to find out where we are," Kairu explained.

"We could well and be in- or should I say- on top of the hotel our ceremony was supposedly held at." Hirosuke contributed.

I vaguely listening to the students offer their stories one after another, but I began to warp into half daydreaming state. I gazed through the transparent glass window of the canteen. It was small, but I could see blue skies. _That's right it's lighter now!_

"Have any of us been on the rooftop this morning?" I anticipatively asked.

All the students were silent, until I heard a quiet murmur in the crowd of students. "I-I… um… was about to, but… I g-got s-s-scared," Juighe anxiously admitted throwing his hair over his eyes in shame.

"I told the pussy that flying monster was gonna make breakfast outta him, he squealed like a girl when I practically threatened him to go up, ahaha!" Neith chuckled pleasantly.

"Bullet c-came to my r-rescue… a-and t-told him off," retorted Juighe.

"Wur is that deluded kid?" Fukumoto brought to our attention.

Soundtrack: Paused

We all scanned the room needlessly, as the quietness alone was enough to indicate Bullet wasn't here. We glanced at each other mirroring back the same thought…

_He must be on the rooftop! _

Then quickly we all crammed into the elevator to the highest point of the tower… _maybe now we'll find out where we are…_

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 33 –<p>

ROOFTOP

* * *

><p>From my first glance, I didn't spot Bullet, but then again we were all hit with a dome of light. I walked onto the rooftop embraced in a world of blue. The air got my taste buds tingling. <em>I can taste salt…<em> Not a flurry of a cloud was in sight, just blue, as bright as a bird's wing.

Eagerly, I ran across the rooftop until the surroundings appeared from beyond the barbed wire. I halted immediately when I saw where we were.

_So this is where we are…_

Soundtrack: Beautiful Days [Dangan Ronpa OST]

A blanket of blue shimmered in the strong morning sunlight, just like gold did when you opened a treasure chest. It stretched so far that it felt endless, but islands, small islands surrounded us. _Are they habitant?_

"This isn't Tokyo; this… is like a summer's paradise, uuh belle!" Alice said in admiration.

"All that surrounds us is sea; miles of it," Junsi added intensely scanning her surroundings.

Shogo's cheeks shined as he stretched out his body, almost absorbing his surroundings. "No offence ladies, but this sight is more spectacular than your faces combined!"

"If we happen to be located, by what appears to be in the middle of the ocean, how the hell did we all get here?" Kairu observed, analytically studying the surroundings rather than admiring them.

"Does anybody remember taking flight on a plane or boarding a boat!?" Hirosuke yelled. He stood back by the elevator, understandable considering his phobia of heights.

We all shook our heads and all I could vaguely remember was being drugged up in the limo. I had no recollection of a flight or voyaging across the sea.

"This further supports we the cat's remark about our memory loss," Sophia indicated.

"No, no, no, no!" Yuko whined digging his fingertips into his hair. "Communications with the outside world are much more unlikely now, how are we meant to send out an SOS?" He questioned crashing his knees to the ground.

"Duuude, you're getting me tired just by watching you… *yawn* loooose control. Seriously dude, look at the islands surrounding us, they must have seen that monster machine crawling the building. I betcha, that some folk is on the phone right now calling the police or even the military," Daisuke guessed, negligently sunbathing.

"Someone will rescue us in no time," Rina confidently added.

"Come on guys!" Kairu's impatient voice urged. "If we take into account our memories *have* been stolen, which seems likely at the moment… surely our family and friends would have had this investigated by now. But we've had no sign of help or anything!"

"Yes, I'm starting to feel a bit chilly. Can we not discuss this back inside?" Shogo shook in the cold still half-naked.

"Okay, let's *presume* that we are neglected on this tower," Hirosuke began, voicing his loud thoughts in the consideration of the more fragile students, "then why not signal an SOS message on the rooftop ourselves?"

"Perfect Idea," Rina agreed quickly.

"Maybe people on the surrounding islands could help us then," Alice added.

"That's if we carelessly assume that those islands are habitant, hehehehe," Gina giggled. "They could be ghost towns for all we know."

"It's a crucial point," Junsi nodded in agreement. "Why would that monster bear have a tower placed somewhere open to the public view?"

"Reporters, the media, helicopters and possibly even military forces would be inspecting this tower from head to toe if that was the case!" Yuko confidently stated with a sharp posture.

"What the bunch o' us gonna do to signal help anyway, werr just sittin' ducks," Fukumoto stated, impatiently pacing the tower.

"I got it!" Sayuri exclaimed. "While I was down at the super market I found boxes of fireworks. If we set them off not only will people here them they might be able to see them," she put forward excitedly.

"Perfect! Let's grab some now. The quicker the better," Rina said fuelled with eunthusiasm by the idea.

"To-tally love the idea dudettes, but from what I saw there is only enough to set say… five off," Daisuke revealed.

"Setting fireworks off during the daytime seems pretty pointless," Sophia disputed looking down her nose.

"How should go about this then? Set off one firework per night to, or to set them all off for a bigger impact?" I asked.

"Let's just make the sky KABOOOOM like the 4th of July and set them all off tonight!" Sayuri swiftly decided.

"Such a careless decision," Sophia argued with a glass shattering tone. "We are all unaware on what the day is and therefore may face the possibility of setting off the fireworks on a celebratory date. This would not provide a reason for people on the outside to see it as suspicious," she continued, making a valid point. "We should set one firework off per night, at the same time. Surely one intelligent soul out there will identify this as an SOS."

"Agreed," Sayuri approved flashing a confident smile.

"That's all good if we are lucky enough to actually have any life surrounding us," Kairu discussed further.

"Let's all worry about that if our plan fails," Hirosuke said. "Getting worked up now will only cloud our judgement until we are blinded by the grief this bear is inflicting on us."

"Now we have something to look forward to, what should we do?" Rina asked smiling sweetly.

"*yawn*… I'm gonna crash on my bed after shooting the last of the zombie ambush on my game, hehe," Daisuke chuckled.

"Sh-should w-we not be w-worrying about Bullet?" Juighe fretted.

_That's right we haven't seen him… It's unusually quiet, thankfully._

"W'll there's no point waitin' t'll the cows come home!" Fukumoto piped. "Let's git off this roof before early birdie catches 'is worm."

_I take it she means Monobird. _

We all approached the elevator and it seemed our answer was waiting for us.

_*ping*_

Soundtrack: Junk Food for a Dashing Youth [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Civilians, I hope we are all keeping safe!" Bullet greeted us as the doors slowly revealed his outrageous appearance.

"How could you let your people worry Bullet?" Rina dived into his arms and hugged him tightly as if he was her childhood blanket.

_Bleggh! Is she really falling for this superhero act?!_

"Please don't worry pilot girl, I've mustered a terrifically amazing plan…" he stopped in a teasing manner, but I think we all wanted him to spit it out.

"Is it another one of your lame and exaggerated heroic acts, hehehe," Gina giggled underneath her sleeve.

"He's probs been playin' video games like me and com' up with some idea like the mana cannon… or some bazooka zombie gun," Daisuke chuckled.

"FUCKING SPIT IT OUT!" Neith growled forcefully pushing his foot forward.

"As a matter of fact, I've established a simple plan that you people won't have any issue with and hopefully support," he huffed. "However we must all meet at the lecture theatre first and foremost."

Soundtrack: Paused

We all moaned under our breath convinced we'd be wasting our time. Bullet pressed the elevator button leading to the lecture theatre fronting a cheesy smile.

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 28 –<p>

LECTURE THEATRE

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Beautiful Ruin [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]<span>

It was organised just like a classroom. We had name badges indicating the seat we were supposedly had to be seated at. On each desk was on A4 sized piece of paper which was my name list of what initially looked like another set rules, but I felt unmotivated to go through them.

We all sat down exchanging glances of awkwardness and confusion, while Bullet stood confidently at the front of the class just like a teacher all the kids would be scared of.

"What the friggin' hell is this," Shogo queried in absolute confusion.

"That sir is a contract consisting of the policies and procedures we need to consider whilst in the clutches of the evil bear and bagpuss," Bullet replied charismatically.

"Duude! This is handwritten, how'd ya write all this up so neatly in such a short space of time?" Daisuke questioned in amazement.

"It is what our hero must commit to when his powers have been taken away from him," Bullet stated grasping his heart as if he had lost something important to him.

Like the other students did, I briskly looked through the set of principles;

* * *

><p><strong>POLICIES &amp; PROCEDURES<strong>

**KEN ROKUROU**

_1. After Monokuma's __**morning announcement**__, students should immediately proceed to the canteen and contribute to the morning ceremony. In this morning ceremony, students will take turn to cook under the supervision of baker-girl, Alice. After eating our breakfast we'll then discuss our plans and then you are freely allowed to do what we please during the rest of the day. Please see this process as establishing and maintaining bonds._

_2. After Monokuma's __**night time announcement,**__ students must remain in their personal rooms until the morning announcement the following morning. This is a crucial measure put in place to ensure we can rest in our rooms safely without worrying what another student may be doing on the other side. _

_3. Since it is unknown to us on what date we are currently on, a calendar has been drawn onto the back of this paper so we can be organised on what we do. The weather, temperature and climate have been taken into consideration and therefore the estimated month is possibly March. Since it is impossible to identify the date, it's been decided that the day we woke up in this tower was the 1__st__ of March and therefore today's date is now the 3__rd__. Use this calendar to write down important events I may announce in the future. Feel free to collect everybody's birthday and write it on the calendar._

_**4. THE MOST IMPORTANT**__, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. WE DON'T TOLERATE KILLING! _

**Please sign: _..._**_  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Daaaaaaaamn! It makes me tired just from reading my name- WHOA! You got patience man!" a bewildered Daisuke praised Bullet.<p>

_He still hasn't got past his name?_

"Hmph, this is fucking bullshit," Neith grunted tracing his finger down the paper. "I'm a fucking high-school bully, I can't fucking follow these lame ass rules!" Neith asserted in frustration. Immediately he scrunched up the paper with no hesitation and lobbed it on Bullet's head.

"Hehehe," Gina giggled.

"Please civilian, consider this as our first step to establish new bonds," Bullet pleaded.

"We should be honoured that we have someone like Bullet leading the group forward," Rina argued in Bullet's defence.

Shogo posed heroically taking it all in his stride.

"The key concept I truly believe we must take into consideration if we wish to follow these rules is adaption," Yuko declared. "If we are in constant denial then then our mental stability will become corrupt and therefore we lose to the temptation of despair. If look through a more optimistic lens then we have the potential to adapt to this experience." Yuko continued.

"He's right, if caged monkeys can adapt in Darwin's experiments then so can we!" Kairu approved Yuko's theory.

"That is truly the heroic spirit I admire!" Bullet beamed, his heart contended as Kairu and Yuko handed in their signed contracts.

The students quickly followed in Kairu's and Yuko's steps by handing in their signed contract. I, however, was still sat at my desk.

_I can see how this is like a security measure and an optimistic idea of us all getting along… but I'm not sure. I feel… torn. But torn from what hope and despair?_

"Ken!" Bullet called dragging me from my dilemma.

I looked up to see him watching me, judging me along with the other students.

_The longer I think about this the more suspicious people will become of me and if I don't sign it then people think I'm going to kill._

Weighed down by the pressure, I scribbled down my signature and handed it over to Bullet.

The only student who didn't sign was Neith.

"I followed enough rules during school, I 'ent following this bullshit!" He vowed agitatedly as he stormed out the lecture theatre.

"Blast! I see that the he has taken the side of the villain," Bullet cursed. "Let that path of fate teach him a lesson that he should never turn his back on justice!"

"Give the boy time," Hirosuke domineeringly suggested in a friendly manner. "He'll change the tune soon enough when he realises this isn't a school."

Soundtrack: Paused

After 99 per cent of us signed our contracts we all agreed to go back to our rooms or spend more time exploring the tower.

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 32 –<p>

DORMITORIES

* * *

><p>KEN'S ROOM<p>

* * *

><p>I entered my room and released contract from the grasp of my hand. It probably swept under a desk or something, not that I cared.<p>

_*knock knock*_

I answered the door to the expected Kairu. She walked in as if this was her own room and pinned the contract onto the back of the door, precisely so that it didn't appear wonky when standing from a distance.

She looked at me and then glanced around the room. "Um… where is your contract Ken?" She asked in disappointment.

"Oh… err… it was on my desk but when you opened the door it wafted somewhere in the room," I lied, biting my lip under her interrogating eyes.

She picked it up from beneath my desk and pinned it up the same way as she did hers.

"I'm going to help stock the kitchen with Hirosuke, catch ya later," she said leaving the room.

_I can't wait for her finger to get better, so she can grant me back my privacy…_

I leaped onto my bed and rested my bead on the palm of both hands summarising the events of today.

_Maybe this isn't too bad after all. It's not like I am surrounded by a bunch of freaks… well some of them are. I suppose it could be worse._

"AAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Soundtrack: Ms. Monomi's Practice Lesson [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

_What the fuck was that!? _I leaped up like a frightened cat and scanned my room.

_Kairu's gone! Who could be hiding in my room?_

"Woo hoo! It's me your friendly pet cat! Kyakakaka!" Akaneko snickered as he crawled from under my bed.

"What the fuck are doing in my room?!"

"Catching spiders and door mice," he responded licking his lips and rubbing his belly.

"How the hell did you even get into my room, I mean you have fucking paws! How the hell did that register on the fingerprint activated door locks?" I asked trapped in puzzled state.

"These two paws have amazing talents. I yearn for the day when I can use them violently, kyakakaka," the wacky cat hissed blowing his paws.

"Anyway, scram you dirty rodent," I ordered sweeping my hands at him like shooing away a pestering animal.

"I am your deputy head-master, you cannot simply shoo me away human, kyakaka."

"Well, what do you want?" I stood impatiently cross-armed.

"*cough* a gift *cough*," he coughed purposely."However, considering your foul mouth and your lack of appreciation when it comes to my cleaning services, I am debating whether to honour you with such a warm-heartedly present," he teased.

"If it's not a one-way ticket out of this hell hole then get outta here," I declared disinterested.

"Hmmpphh! You are supposed to give in and beg me for it, purr!" The cat hissed in defeat.

"I've learnt to resist presents, gifts or any other type of pleasure after that incident in the limo."

"Blah! Ya can have it for free then!" The cat backed down defeated. "It's an electronic gift you can access using you e-handbooks."

"I'll figure this out for myself," I insisted. "Now leave."

He did like I ordered, but sauntered out my room as if to take the piss.

Soundtrack: Paused

Curious to see what this 'electronic gift' was I opened my e-handbook.

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN /**_

_+ Map_

_+ Rules_

_- Report cards [OPEN]_

_[List of student's names]_

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE /**_

It was a list of all sixteen students including myself, each with a profile embedded; the first tab featured their weight, height, blood type, birthday, super high-school title and a simple photograph of themselves. The remaining six tabs were blank.

_Why are they blank? I suppose time will tell._

In fidgety and slightly can't-be-bothered attitude I returned back to my bed stretching out like a tired mammal and then I slowly drifted off into a short but slumber sleep.

…

Soundtrack: Beautiful Ruin [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

It must have been a few hours later and I awoke but not as I hoped I would. I groggily got out my bed and noticed Kairu engrossed in a book.

"What tiiime is it *yawn*- wait! How did you get in my room?" I panicked.

"You moron, you left it open a tad bit and of course I didn't want to disturb you from your beauty sleep so I let myself in." She explained her eyes still firmly planted on the book.

"I-I could have been… naked… or summat!"

"Please don't disturb my imagination while I'm reading," she sighed scornfully.

_*knock kock*_

_Who could that be? Please not anyone else with a cut finger…_

I dragged my feet to the door and grumpily swung the door open.

_*click*_

"YAY KEN!" Sayuri screamed in joy.

_Geez her happy outbursts really irritate me sometimes. But… was I glad to see her! She was the perfect girl, angelic facial features, heavenly blonde hair and dreamy pink eyes that hypnotized me the longer I gazed._

"Um… earth to Ken, yoo-hoo," she waved her hand against my eyes as if I was lost in some trance- _oh, um… maybe I was._

I shook my head as well as my fantasizing thoughts. "S-sorry, I'm gormless when I'm deprived from my sleep." I chuckled.

"Liar!" Kairu shouted from inside my room. "You just got the hots-" her voice immediately became muffled as I slammed the door shut behind me.

"Eeeeeeek! Why are you holding Kairu prisoner in your room?" Sayuri shot out a very imprecise accusation.

_Long story…_

I briefly explained the short version of why Kairu was staying in my room for the time-being, but Sayuri's engaging eye contact made me believe she was expecting some sort of dramatic story with a romantic twist.

"At least you were not planning to kill her," she sighed in relief.

"Er… N-no! No definitely not!" I reassured her; worried she would come to such a conclusion. "Anyway, are you here to ask me out on a date?" I teased, biting my lip. _Yeah, she likes me._

"You must be psychic! As a matter of fact I chose to invite you to help me set off the first firework!" She smiled convincing me she was impressed I initiated the idea of a date.

Soundtrack: Paused

_Maybe she has fallen for my charm and my cheeky behaviour. More of a reason to keep it up!_

* * *

><p>- Floor 33 -<p>

ROOFTOP

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: At Our Parting (Piano) [Sword Art Online OST]<span>

I set-up the firework using the supplies from the supermarket and ignited the fuse. I quickly ran 50 feet reuniting with Sayuri. Being the gentleman that I was- _or perhaps should be,_ I took off my blue jacket and delicately wrapped it around her and edged my body in closer so she could be embraced by my warmth. _Why am I so hot- well that's obvious I have the hottest girl watching a firework explode in the sky._

We both gazed at the sky which was now glittering with diamonds and then before our eyes the firework hissed and shot up like a rocket.

_*BANG*_

Colourful lights dispersed. While we watched the colours fizzle out Sayuri placed her head on my shoulder and tightly clutched my blue jacket she was holding. I placed my arm around her and she tucked her head further down towards my chest. What I was hoping was affection was in fact loneliness. She rejected any further advances I made such as lightly kissing her neck… It was if she just wanted a warm blanket to enclose herself in and presently that was what I was to her. I could almost feel the despair lingering over her, _but could she feel this?_

Soundtrack: Fading

_To be continued._


	8. Chapter 1: Despair Documentary

**A/N: Thank you for all your replies to my PM. I will feature more Free Time in the following chapter. I will back to any replies if you have asked a question. I have been very busy with work and studying so please don't think I am ignoring any messages.**

**Danganronpa: Spine Tower**

**Chapter 1: Despair Documentary**

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome 2 [Dangan Ronpa OST]

Imprisoned in a sickening new reality, sixteen of us mysterious woke up in a tower hundreds and thousands feet up from the ground. What we must do to escape? Kill of course, so the toy bear puts it. But apparently killing is too easy. If we chose to kill we must also escape our crimes unidentified, that was the tricky part.

All of this was complete bullshit to me. _I would never kill! _

The following day we united under the prospect of hope, adamant that we will get through this together. I was cautious signing a student contract as a promise not to commit to such a crime but then I was relieved I did because there was _**no way **_I was going to kill. It just wasn't in me…

Or so I thought.

I lay in the depths of darkness, wielding a dangerous weapon, grinding my teeth anxiously, coated in a slimy layer of sweat… waiting for an opening strike.

Soundtrack: Paused

…That's right, tonight… **I am going to kill!**

…

**40 Hours earlier…**

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 32 –<p>

DORMS

* * *

><p>KEN'S ROOM<p>

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Beautiful Days [Dangan Ronpa OST]<span>

"Ken, Ken, wake up!"

I heard a frustrated growl as my eyes began to capture the familiar, yet unpleasant surroundings of my room.

_Here I was hoping to my cuddled up to Sayuri in a hotel room. Where's the morning sex, the breakfast in bed, the cool air whipping from out the window?_

I grunted in sheer disappointment to have woken up in what I believed was a long nightmare. _But yeah, this is my unfortunate new reality, ugh…_

"Sleepy head, you slept right through Monokuma's morning announcement!" Kairu mocked me slamming a pillow across my head.

"Okay, okay, okay! I'm wake" I assured her, sluggishly getting out of my bead.

"About damn time man," she moaned. "Pull up your jeans I can see your underwear!"

"Nice of you to notice," I teased catching a glimpse of her cheeks turn rosy pink.

"Uggh…" she snarled, turning way. "If we don't hurry, _captain_ Bullet is going to come barging through the door."

"I'm almost positive the door will beat him up," I joked eliciting a brief chuckle from tomboyish girl.

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 28 –<p>

CANTEEN; KITCHEN; LAUNDRY

* * *

><p>CANTEEN<p>

* * *

><p>We made our way to the canteen and faced a tough nut wall of students frowning down at us.<p>

_We can't be that late surely?_

"Are you two delinquents going to provide a lame excuse for why you are both late?" an authoritarian Bullet asked us sarcastically, clearly not impressed by our late attendance.

"I tried my best, trust me, but Ken slept like a bear," Kairu justified narrowing her eyes at me like daggers.

_I think the group believes she was knocking at my door, hope she keeps it at that to avoid anybody drawing conclusions from why she is staying in my room._

"The word 'bear' is forbidden whilst in the company of other students!" Bullet reacted in shock horror. "Now, fifty press ups!" he ordered.

"Man, no way!" She barked back.

"A superhero cannot claim to be a superhero if they neglect their surroundings and fail to take notice of the other students, beside Ken and Kairu, were missing," Gina mocked him.

She was right, neither Daisuke or Neith were at the 'morning ceremony', so Bullet calls it.

"I can accept why the cursed one has refused to make it to our morning ceremony," he said. _I believed he referred to Neith. _"However, where is my counterpart?"

_Since when was Daisuke his counterpart?_

"Are we slowly becoming the justice league or something?" Junsi remarked in disapproval. She waved her hair back, typically like a model and then gazed in admiration at her nails. "I don't want to be part of this group if we end up role-playing like children in these serious circumstances."

"We are *precisely* the justice league," Bullet emphasized "Without justice there is no peace." He quoted posing valiantly.

"Enough of this foolishness," Sophia commanded. Immediately the tone was sliced by her sword-sharp voice. "I'm curious to hear how our development procedures are going to advance now we've explored everywhere on the tower and come to grasps with the reality of our situation."

"Well we were provided with a calendar yesterday, why not come up with ideas so we can fill up our time? It'll keep us busy at least." Hirosuke suggested in a genuine manner reflecting his consideration the welfare of the group.

"WOOOOO HOOOOO!" Sayuri cheered merrily, waving her pompoms in the air. _Does she bring them everywhere with her? _"We could have pamper nights, buffet meals, star-gazing and camp-outs on the roof! Yippee, I'm so excited!"

"I'd much rather use the time more productively and hunts ghosts so they can help us solve this eerie mystery to the history of this tower," Gina murmured.

"Y'all mut remember that we got rules to folla'," Fukumoto reminded us chewing on some left over bacon. "Camp-outs on the roof is bonkers if we y'all 'member that we must sleep in the dorm area."

"Aaahha, so is ghost hunting," Shogo laughed off Gina's idea. "But, seriously sweetheart, ghost hunting is prohibited after we signed those contracts from yesterday." He informed the disappointed girl.

"Well. While we think of activities to utilize our time in the future, why don't we make use of the facilities provided for us and get to know each other?" Hirosuke recommended.

"I do envy your practical thinking Hirosuke," Rina complimented him. "I would be pleasured to take the time to get to know each of you individually!"

"Does anyone have any exciting contributions to add to the calendar?" Yuko asked, as usual, emphasizing his words with passion.

Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Lesson [Dangan Ronpa OST]

"Contributions?" a distant voice butted in. I was hardly surprised it was Monokuma. Appearing out of nowhere was now expectant.

"Neee-yaaaa!" Yuko jumped.

"What the hell ya want now?!" Fukumoto raged by his presence.

"Are your ears functioned to block out bear-talk?" Monokuma sarcastically criticised. "I would like to offer my friendly services and add a date to this wonderful idea of a calendar!"

"Villain!" Bullet addressed the bear with aggression. "I'm afraid my group does not associate with such criminals," he coldly remarked shunning the bear.

"Attendance at Monokuma's events is compulsory!" He growled.

"Gosh dangit! What cud a bear possibly 'av prepared for us?" Fukumoto asked

"Haven't you scared us enough…?" Alice fretted.

"No, no, nothing to worry about," he badly attempted to reassure us. "In fact I've prepared an event you are all going to thrive on!"

"Well, go on," Junsi prompted impatiently.

"It's a night at the movies of course!" Monokuma announced excitedly.

"Does that mean leaving the tower!?" Rina asked, overwhelmed with sudden euphoria.

"Upuhuhuhuuhu, I pity your hopeful attitude so early in the killing game," the bear patronized the ditzy student. "It will be held in the tower of course," the bear continued much to our disapproval, "on the newly opened floor!"

"What the hell you got in stored for us?" I asked, partially not wanting an answer.

"Let's just say that a bunch of talented students like yourselves are the stars of the show, upuhuhuhu." The bear finished and then disappeared without explaining any more further.

Soundtrack: Beautiful Ruin [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"A-at l-least we are n-n-not stuck on anything… to do," Juighe bravely inputted dragging us away from our confusion.

"Precisely," Hirosuke agreed. "All though we are all unaware of Monokuma's intention, let's not worry about it yet. If we stick together and use our time wisely and get to know each other than our fighting courage will only become greater."

And that was that. Following Hirosuke's idea to use the time as a foundation for forming friendships I went to my room and contemplated what to do while I await for Monokuma's movie event.

Now what should I do today?

* * *

><p>FREE TIME<p>

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Beautiful Days [Dangan Ronpa OST]<span>

_Oh! I just remembered I have hold of Neith's and Daisuke's movie tickets. I'll see what they're up to._

_/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN /_

_+ Rules_

_- Map_

_FLOOR 33 [Rooftop] __**Neith**__; Sayuri_

_FLOOR 32 [Dorms] __**Daisuke**__; Gina; Sophia; Juighe_

_FLOOR 31 [Kitchen] Alice [Canteen] Fukumoto; Hirosuke_

_FLOOR 30 [Ballroom] Junsi; Shogo_

_FLOOR 29 [Supermarket] Bullet; Rina_

_FLOOR 28 [Lecture Theatre] Yuko; Kairu_

_+ Report Card_

/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE /

* * *

><p>Free Time Event [1]<p>

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 32 –<p>

DORMS

* * *

><p>DAISUKE'S ROOM<p>

* * *

><p><em>*knock *knock*<em>

His room was like an electronic hardware store, except messy. His games were in piles in the form of a mountain ready for avalanche. He had a huge stereo I truly admired… _if only I could hear my own music play through it, I'd have something to take me back to my old reality *sigh*._

"*yawn*…Yo… duuude," he greeted half-asleep. "What's brought ya to gamers' grotto?"

_Shall I spend time with Daisuke? [Yes] / No_

"Gurghhhh…" he grunted.

"What's up?" I queried. "I've not woken you up have I?"

"No way dude, I'm pretty glad you came!" He raised his head back up confusing me with a mysterious and brazen smile. "It sometimes gets a tad boring when playin' on ya own. I'm used to ownin' the online gaming community boards. Aha he he." He guffawed boastfully.

_I get it. He's going to kidnap me and hold me hostage in his room and call me his new gaming playmate._

I grabbed a wireless controller from his dusty and cluttered desk. _How has it got so dusty already? _"Okay, I guess I can crush some zombies for a while." I raised a competitive smile and we spent the morning and early afternoon co-operating as we took down some seriously bad ass zombies. It was no surprise that he rallied up the most points. I didn't even have to look at the screen to know this. He often excitedly yelled out those points and teasing me when mine feel considerably below his.

Despite his competitiveness I managed to draw him out of his lazy shell. Today, I felt we became closer.

_Shall I give Daisuke a present? [Yes] / No – **[Gaming wheel accessory]**_

"Cheers dude," he thanked.

"No probs, anything to get you out that dozy state" I replied, chuckling.

"Heyyy…" he sighed in disapproval. "Is that how I appear?" he questioned, "cocooned in some gaming world with a personality as slow paced as turtle."

"Well…," I awkwardly stopped before spitting out the truth. "You just have a relaxed personality and always appear half-asleep," I justified with a bank-handed compliment, unintentional of course.

"Gaming takes a lot responsibility man," he declared in a groaning manner. "The gaming culture is very competitive and if I'm not on top of my game, there are risks ya know… such as being dethroned from the leader boards by some random Japanese kid." He explained.

_I never thought of the gaming kingdom to take up so much responsibility and commitment. He must have it tough to have the uncertainty that when he wakes up each morning he could have his winning crown taken off him._

"Sounds though," I replied. "What about the gaming world do you enjoy the most then?" I asked. "Scoring top points in the majority of games?" I guessed.

"Not at all," he said. "You know why I like playing games so much? Because when I do, it feels like I'm in a different world. I can forget about everything for a while and just... play the game."

"I hardly ever play video games, so I can't imagine what it feels like," I reasoned.

"When I was a kid, I used t' live in the virtual reality of the game and spend hours in that world. When I became recognized for my talent, it almost as if that got taken away. My reason for gaming changed as my title took on the responsibility of being the best of the best." He explained. "So although this experience is pretty frightening, at least I can escape in the video game world… so in a way I am quite thankful I can take a break from the competitive gaming culture."

"I never knew games could satisfy the gamer in so many ways," I admitted awed by the gaming world.

"Sorry if I seem a little out of it or spout nonsense sometimes. I just get in the zone so much when playing that I don't notice the time. There are even days when I don't even get an hour of sleep!" He justified, chuckling slightly.

I left Daisuke to embrace himself in the world of gaming.

* * *

><p><strong><em>E-HANDBOOK UPDATED!<em>**

_**/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN** /_

_+ Rules_

_+ Map_

_- Report Card [OPEN]_

_- DAISUKE_

_|| Daisuke originally played video games for the purpose of escapism, only then did he have the button mashing skill to become the ultimate video gamer. He has described how his position is very fragile as the video gaming industry is huge. ||_

_[Level 1 == Level 2!]_

**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE /**

_I suppose I have more time to kill before the day draws to a close. _

* * *

><p>Free Time Event [2]<p>

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 33 –<p>

ROOFTOP

* * *

><p>"Hey, what da fuck you want?" He forcefully asked. "Don't ask me to sign another fucking contract, or ya will face a grizzly fate." He threatened staring at me with his eyes buried underneath his cap.<p>

_Shall I spend time with Neith? [Yes] / No_

In his violent and hasty mood he engrossed me in scenarios in which he bullied children right the way from nursery. _Guess his talent is more genetic than skilled. _Whatever it was, I found some of the stories amusing, despite feeling sorry for the victims who all seemed to be those weaker than him. Today, I felt we became closer.

_Shall I give Neith a present? [Yes] / No – **[Punching Bag]**_

"Grrrr… I suppose that will do… ur… thanks," he thanked. "Ken!" He caught my attention like a gunshot. _*gulp*. _"Tell me about the Royal Blue Bandits."

_Did he ask me or just order me? Hold on! He's actually interested in my talent. Here I thought he'd rather spend his time bullying._

"Um… well I basically started the group with my friends when I was younger. Initially I wanted to become the face of the group-"

"Okay! That's enough…" he interrupted as if I spoke as long as he did about his childhood reminiscence of bullying. "I played on the drums." He revealed.

"Wow, I would never expect you to be interested in any other hobby," I responded surprised. "So how did it go?"

_He doesn't look like the musician type… however I can imagine him thumping the drums violently and I couldn't predict more right…_

"Well I smashed up the little piece of shit of course!" He revealed, laughing eccentrically.

_I assumed he wouldn't have the patience to learn…_

"Um… why?" I curiously, but cautiously asked.

"I played them for half a year and then they were shit! I got bored of smacking down my fists on the drums. I didn't want to hear how violent I could get I wanted to see the violence!" He revealed.

_He exceeded my expectations… I thought drumming would have lasted him a day or two… _

"Did that end your interest in musical instruments then?" I asked.

"Nah, I used the drums to slam-dunk 'em on some kids who needed a lesson." He revealed, his eyes sparking with electricity.

I laughed awkwardly but mostly felt forced to respond in an encouraging way to his violent behaviour. "I suppose I could congratulate your imagination to use the drums for different purposes."

"Hmph. You best not tell any fucker what I just said," he threatened me. "I could always use your guitar strings to wrap ya around in, heh heh," he chuckled.

And following our conversation, I remained tight-lipped mostly because I was worried about the safety of my guitar._ I only had one!_

* * *

><p><strong><em>E-HANDBOOK UPDATED!<em>**

**_/ E-HANDBOOK / OPEN /_**

_+ Rules_

_+ Map_

_- Report Card [OPEN]_

_- NEITH_

_|| Neith has approached other hobbies besides bullying. One of which is drumming. He played it for a short while before losing his patience and incorporating this newfound hobby into his bullying practices. ||_

_[Level 1 == Level 2!]_

**/ E-HANDBOOK / CLOSE /**

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Paused<span>

*ding dong ding dong*

"Rodents… I-I mean students, kayakakaka! Make your way down to the movie theater on floor 27!" Akaneko's voice cackled through the monitor.

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome 1 [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

My body instantly felt light and numb following my announcement but my thoughts were animated.

_What film could this be? Surely if he wants us to kill each other he wouldn't be showing us some blockbuster premiere…_

Me and Kairu exchanged worrying glances and briefly guessed on what could be in store for us. Hesitantly, we approached floor 27.

* * *

><p>- FLOOR 27 –<p>

CINEMA RECEPTION; SCREEN 1

* * *

><p>CINEMA RECEPTION<p>

* * *

><p>Me and Kairu were the first here, but students quickly piled in. Most of us seemed to drag ourselves here, while others poured into the room full of energy.<p>

"Popcorn!" Rina exclaimed merrily. Without any hesitation, considering the new surroundings, she filled up a bag. _Is she brave or just stupid?_ "We can share this one Bullet," she smiled.

I quickly copied her idea and grabbed her popcorn and positioned myself next to Sayuri. Her smile was probably as sweet as the taste of the popcorn.

"Let's see what NC-17 movie Monokuma has prepared for us," Shogo voiced. "Are we all erect?"

"I'm assuming you mean 'ready' to go in?" Kairu spat.

Shogo just chuckled as usual and we slowly entered the dark room.

Soundtrack: Paused

* * *

><p>SCREEN 1<p>

* * *

><p><span>Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome 1 [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]<span>

I was expecting it be decorated to Monokuma's liking; such black and white wallpaper and props to reinforce some sort of creepy ambience. However it appeared normal. Ruby cushioned seats were line up before an enormous projector screen and the temperature felt pleasantly comfortable. Considering it felt relaxed, all of us sat closely next to each other as if we were all deep-down slightly weary of what was going to happen.

"Oi, Ken pass me some popcorn," Hirosuke asked. He scooped a handful out and crushed them within his mouth. "Mmmmm… su'ary and chrun'y!" he spoke with a mouthful.

"Eww, don't speak while your mouth is full," Junsi criticised, cringingly leaning away from what looked like a starved gorilla feasting on a snack.

"W-what d-d-do you think th-they might have in… um… store for us," Juighe quavered throwing his bangs over his eyes.

"Let's hope it isn't a cliché horror movie they don't do the poltergeists, demons or evil spirits any justice," Gina said licking popcorn like a cat.

"It's probably a reward for us since we've kept the tower clean and followed Mr. Bear's rules," Rina guess oblivious to the fact that the bear wants us to kill each other.

And from that point onwards, 'Mr. Bear's' voice caught our attention.

Soundtrack: Mr. Monokuma's Tutoring [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"Greetings guests," Monokuma voice appearing at the front of the cinema screen. "Are we all sitting comfortably? Popcorn at hand and drinks ready?" He asked us, but none of us responded. "From all that munching I take it you are all ready to see tonight's movie!"

_But what the hell was the movie?_

"Duuuudes, can I just fall asleep? *yawn*" Daisuke stretched out like a cat and slouched back into a lazy posture.

"No!" Monokuma growled. His rough and scratchy tone summoned Daisuke to shoot up into a sharper position, "If you doze off to sleep than you will miss the **motive**."

_Huh? What is a motive?_

"Explain what you mean by motive?" An inquisitive Yuko asked, leaning forward and pushing up his glasses.

"Upuhuhuhu, you're interested in the motive but not so much the movie? You humans become more complex every day."

I could see from the corner of my eye the tension build in Neith as his muscles suddenly began to expand.

"URRRAAGGH!" He roared. It still amazed me how such an aggressive growl came out of some so petite. "Stop playing games with us and SPIT OUT THE FUCKING TRUTH!"

"I'm not part of any game, if you haven't realised by now it's the sixteen of you taking part in the killing game," Monokuma reminded us tilting his head in a patronizing manner.

"Blast you villain! We've all agreed that killing won't happen in Bullet's watch." Bullet vowed striking a conflicting pose against Monokuma. "It's GAME OVER for you!"

"Well things have been so despairingly boooooooooring around here, which is why a **motive** has been put in place to say change the tempo of the game or to get all you little chess pieces scrambling about the board like ants!" The bear explained excitedly.

"I assume this cinema venue will showcase this motive?" Sophia asked.

"Well of course!" The bear chirped. "I didn't bring you down here just for the fun of it!"

Akaneko dressed in a top hat and a torn black suit appeared beside his master.

"I Akaneko, the loyal servant of Master Monokuma and the air to be the leader of despair, present to you a horrific, documentary of 28 student's lives as they took their first steps into Hope's Peak Academy! Sit back, relax-" the cat stopped as he was interrupted with popcorn bouncing onto his head.

"GAH! Get on with it, HA HA HA!" Hirosuke chuckled throwing more popcorn to the back of his throat.

We all erupted in a cheer of laughter at Akaneko's expense obviously not taking his speech seriously.

"MEOW!" Akaneko burbled. "I was just about finished!" He walked off stage and vanished following a hail storm of popcorn being launched at him. Then, finally the black screen changed into a misty grey colour becoming bright and brighter until it was blinding white.

This was when all the joking ended… what we was about to see… well let's just say an NC-17 rating was clearly a on a bar to low.

* * *

><p>Despair Documentary<p>

- based on true events (obviously, upuhuhuhu)

The majority of students in this film died from homicidal acts. Anything you see tonight… please… try it at home.

_And after that bizarre message we immediately jumped into a scene which looked as if it was halfway through a movie… the music was like what played when opening a music-box to see a ballerina skating in the centre._

Soundtrack: All Star Apologies 16 Bit [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST] 

*knock knock*

_The knocks were loud and echoed throughout the room._

LEON _(entering a bedroom)_: Huh, Sayaka?

LEON: Wh-where are you? Why did you call me in here?

I saw a blue hair girl hiding amongst the shadows in the room.

_Do I know her?_

Slowly she tiptoed out the shadows wielding some weapon tightly in her hand.

_Wait is that a knife!?_

Suddenly she launched for fiery-red hair guy with a kitchen knife.

LEON: Sayaka! What the heck are you doing!?

Sayaka didn't give Leon the opportunity to attempt to calm her down and in his defence he immediately he swiped out a practice sword to counter her attack.

_*snap*_

_The sound of breaking bones crackled in the cinema._

Sayaka held her damaged arm burdened with a limp wrist…

LEON: Gimme that knife, bitch!

SAYAKA: AAAAH!

Tables had turned. The panic in Sayaka's face confirmed this. The knife was snatched away from her by Leon.

SAYAKA: Nnnn…

SAYAKA: P-please I didn't mean to harm you… I was…

But before she could finish her sentence of plead, the killer charged at her. Sayaka quickly locked herself into the bedroom's toilet, but failed by the force of Leon.

*kreeeeen*

_I pushed myself back in my chair, and the popcorn rolled off my lap. *gulp*._

Leon stood before Sayaka, his shadow sinister and his stance threatening and domineering. The two exchanged a lengthy glance at one another. Sayaka was like a frightened puppy. Leon was demonic. His bulging eyes revealed sudden excitement and triumph

He plunged the knife into her stomach and then the screen was drenched in red liquid. Sayaka released a blood curdling scream that rung like a fire alarm in the cinema room. Slowly it the scream faded out, but I could still hear it.

_Th-this is so graphic… one's initial thought would be that the characters in this movie were actors. But that was impossible!_

_It was impossible, b-because… I knew her…_

_It was Sayaka Maizono! _

_As beginning musicians, my band, the 'Royal Blue Bandits', were supporting acts, simply opening the gig for her and her idol group… ugh… what was the group's name!?_

Soundtrack: Paused

The movie followed with several more killings such as heavy blows to head, then a double murder, then suicide, then an explosion, then another stabbing… _ugh _it went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on… until all there was left was a black screen, a silent room and my head replaying the killings until they formed concrete images.

…

…

Soundtrack: Welcome to Despair Academy [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

"See this as um… foreshadowing the events that will happen during your time in Spine Tower, upuhuhuhuh!" The bear appeared in the room and his cynical smile rose further and further as he gazed upon our stone cold faces. None of us responded for a while, we were still reeling in what happened in the movie and comparing the similarities to our own reality. Popcorn continued to roll off our seats and pop trickled down their stands.

"THAT'S INSAAAAANE!" Hirosuke's roar tore the ambience in the room. "No one here in the right mind would consider such a thing!"

"Tee hee, I bet some of you have already considered killing a fellow student," the bear tittered teasingly. "At least you're all stocked up with fresh ideas! Made it a little easier I see, upuhuhu!"

_He's not fazed at all by our defensiveness or by our close bonds. Is he really that confident that a killing is going to happen? I mean just from watching the documentary, during both school trips had more than one student killed. Are well all capable of this?_

"Please. Let's not use what we have witnessed in the documentary to evaluate ourselves," Yuko advised, his hands trembling as he propped up his glasses. "We are nothing like them," he said unconvinced, "they all must have had some of mental illness before arriving to the school_."_

"Yuko, don't delude yourself," Junsi chastised. "You are a reporter and I'm confident that you have interviewed some of these students especially in the entertainment business, like Sayaka Maizono for instance."

"I-I…" Yuko was speechless from the Junsi's truth. "Don't be negative!"

"I j-just… want confirmation that what we just saw was r-real." Junsi choked.

"They were normal talented people like yourselves with no intention to kill. Boy does this documentary show how domineering it can be living in despair, upuhuhuhu," the bear aggravated. "Every single one of you have the potential to kill it is just knowing which buttons to press, AHAHAHA! He guffawed.

_He made us feel powerless as if our conscious was beginning to get lost in a dark cloudy sky. 'Just knowing which buttons to press,' it was almost as if we were robots and he was a technician controlling us. How could a stuffed animal have so much control over us? But as the documentary unpleasantly reminded me… we could potentially be all born killers._

"Please stop with your attempts to brainwash us!" Rina urged sorrowful.

"Brainwash?" the bear questioned curiously. "I would have thought this movie educated you to believe that the intention to kill is simply evolutionary. It's how humans cope with stressful situations. A bear on the other hand… upuhuhuhu. I wonder how long it will take for you all to crack by the pressure of despair!" After his attempt to manipulate us, the bear vanished.

The silence returned only to cause a panic of worry.

_What was everyone thinking? What happened to the rapturous atmosphere? Has it changed the perspective? _

Slowly, sounds collectively came back to me, the crunching of popcorn beneath our feet, wet footsteps as we left a trail of fizzy pop from our seats to leave through the cinema doors. What I didn't hear was a single voice.

Soundtrack: Paused

I went back to my room almost forgetting that Kairu was currently staying in my room. _Should she really be in my room after watching that?_

_What IF that movie has brainwashed her? Should I be so worried about her? Or more worried about myself?_

Soundtrack: Despair Syndrome 1 [Dangan Ronpa 2 OST]

I lay in bed scarred with the bloody imagery from the movie. _Was it really Sayaka? _I was missing my life, all my friends, family, my loyal fans; I had so much hope back in my normal reality. _I want to get out of here now, away from this madness. These people are strangers, I don't care for any of them… they're just other talented people. What are they worth to me? Are they worth making friends with until I die? _

It was beginning to dawn on me…

_This is not my reality. This is a game!_

_And maybe I should start playing it!_

_To be continued..._


End file.
